Extreme heat waves spark climate emergencies worldwide

Beijing, July 21 (IANS) A new heat wave alert has been sounded worldwide as Europe and the Middle East are battling an extremely scorching heat wave this week, prompting various climate emergencies in many countries.

According to the national meteorological service, Iran is sweltering through its hottest week of the year above 50 degrees Celsius, with temperatures in Tehran hitting 40 degrees on Sunday.

As searing heatwaves persist, Tehran's water authority has urged residents to slash consumption by at least 20 per cent, warning that dam reservoirs supplying the capital have sunk to "their lowest levels in a century."

Some 3,500 km west of Tehran, the Greek capital of Athens is enduring its first prolonged heatwave of this summer as well.

Hot air masses sweeping in from North Africa arrived earlier this summer and have formed a heat dome over Greece and the Balkans, pushing temperatures up to 10 degrees above the seasonal norm, said the National Observatory. With average highs forecast to approach 38 degrees this week and peak at 44 degrees in some areas, The National Herald, a Greek daily, described conditions as "hotter than hell."

Such aridity, combined with gales, has put Greece under severe wildfires.

Firefighters on Thursday grappled with a blaze on the island of Crete that burned through forests and olive groves, forcing the evacuation of more than 1,000 people. Meanwhile, a new fire near Athens edged dangerously close to residential areas.

Elsewhere, Turkey recorded 761 wildfires in the 10 days following June 26. The fires flaring in and around the western Izmir Province have claimed the lives of an elderly man and a forestry worker.

Across Europe, at least eight heat-related deaths have been reported in countries including Spain and Italy as the continent is baked in the heatwave, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We are currently under the influence of a strong high-pressure system; this is trapping hot air from northern Africa over the region. And as we can see, it's having a pretty big impact on the way we feel," Clare Nullis, a World Meteorological Organisation spokesperson, said earlier.

She noted that humans will have to learn to live with more frequent and intense heat waves as a result of climate change.

The EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service said in a recent article that "damage to the built environment from extreme weather events is expected to increase tenfold by the end of the century due to climate change alone."

Such widespread climate impacts highlight the importance of building greater resilience, it noted, calling for physical and technological measures such as water recycling, separation of rain and greywater, climate-resilient building design, risk mapping and early warning systems.

"Adaptation is required across all sectors and governance levels, and actions must address both current climate impacts and protect against future risks," it said.

--IANS

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