Experts warn climate change could lead to more extreme heatwaves and icy winters as scientists say the hellish temperatures fuelling the wildfires in southern Europe would be ‘impossible’ without human influence
- Scientists say 40C heat, first seen in UK last year, will become more common
- READ MORE: Shocking pictures show scale of destruction in Rhodes
Extreme heatwaves and icy winters could become increasingly common due to climate change, experts have warned.
Temperatures of up to 48C have swept across Europe, sparking devastating wildfires in popular Greek tourist destinations.
Researchers believe temperatures of over 40C, seen for the first time in the UK last year, will become increasingly common unless greenhouse gas emissions are curtailed.
World Weather Attribution, a group of scientists from the UK and the Netherlands, said heatwaves will become more severe and frequent until we stop burning fossil fuels.
Its research revealed that without human-induced climate change, the heatwave in southern Europe would have been statistically impossible.
Rhodes burns for a seventh day. A weeklong wildfire on the Greek resort island has sparked mass evacuations with thousand of Brits abroad – but some are still attempting to get there
An aerial view shows the rubble and destruction in a residential area following a large blaze the previous day, on July 20, 2022 in Wennington, Greater London as temperatures hit 40C
The group added that heatwaves are now expected once every 15 years in the US and Mexico, once every ten years in southern Europe and once every five years in China.
READ MORE: Shocking before and after pictures show scale of destruction in Rhodes after wildfires ripped through luxury hotels, shops and homes in packed Greek island
Liz Stephens, a climate professor at the University of Reading, said: ‘The temperatures recorded during the recent heatwave across southern Europe would have been impossible without climate change.
‘This extreme weather in Southern Europe is not the “new normal”. Heatwaves will get over 1 degree hotter again within 30 years even if the goals of the Paris Agreement are met.’ The warning comes ahead of a major Met Office report on the state of the UK’s climate later this week. Meanwhile extreme heat continues to sweep across Europe, North America, North Africa and Asia, causing devastating wildfires in Greece.
June was the world’s hottest month on record, while China experienced its hottest day ever at 52.2C.
Figures released today from the Office for National Statistics suggest the UK’s residence-based greenhouse gas emissions actually fell 1.4 per cent during the first quarter of this year compared to 2022.
Dr Candice Howarth of the London School of Economics said the UK is not prepared for extreme heat, adding that local authorities, emergency services and utility companies ‘only just managed’ during the record temperatures last year.
While climate change is most commonly associated with extremely hot temperatures, a landmark study also suggests that a change in ocean currents could see Europe plunged into an icy freeze. The study, published in Nature Communications, warned an Atlantic Ocean current that brings warmth north from the tropics could collapse ‘any time’ from 2025.
Brits have been warned not to travel to the burning island of Rhodes (pictured) – as an easyJet pilot even pleaded with passengers to disembark a flight there
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