An overheated Europe, an underprepared world

The European heat crisis is a reminder of something scientists have always asserted: Climate change is an interconnected planetary emergency

For several years, weather extremes seemed a distant crisis for much of the Western world. The devastating heatwave of 2023 did leave an imprint on the ecological consciousness of a section of Europeans. But it’s only been about a decade since people outside the developing world began to feel the impact of global warming acutely. In Europe, temperature records were broken during the summers of 2019, 2022 and 2023. The hot weather has been particularly distressing for people across the continent this year. Temperatures have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in several countries, red alerts have spread across France and other parts of Europe, schools have shut, transport systems have been disrupted, and health services have come under immense pressure. The UK has recorded its hottest June day on record, while Spain, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany have all experienced conditions that until recently would have been considered highly unusual. The exact toll taken by the climate vagaries is not yet known, but the tragedy of people drowning in France after jumping into rivers and canals to escape the heat underscores the severity of the crisis.

Municipalities in several parts of Europe are now discussing cooling centres, expanding green spaces, redesigning buildings, framing heat action plans and improving emergency response systems. Such conversations are necessary in a continent where buildings are designed to retain warmth. But adaptation addresses only one side of the problem. The European heat crisis is a reminder of something scientists have always asserted: Climate change is an interconnected planetary emergency. For instance, the current weather pattern, a blocked high-pressure system trapping hot air over Europe and drawing warm air up from the Sahara, is not unusual in European summers. But climate change has made such occurrences more frequent and exacting, especially because Europe is the fastest-warming continent.

Delays in global warming mitigation impose burdens all over the world. Most European countries have taken initiatives to cut net GHG emissions to negligible levels. But many of these plans have been criticised for being vague on near-term accountability. Ambitious emissions reductions are indispensable. Equally critical is ensuring that Europe honours its financial and technological commitments to developing countries. The heatwave should alert its policymakers to the fact that every unfulfilled climate promise makes future heatwaves more dangerous.