London — For the first time on record, Britain suffered temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday. A fierce heat wave moved northwest, leaving traces of wildfires, loss of life, and evacuation of homes throughout Europe. Equipped to deal with the new reality of extreme weather.
The effects of the heat spread from Greece to Scotland, but the biggest damage was in France, which was devastated by the fire. More than 2,000 firefighters fought against the flames that burned about 80 square miles of dry forest in the Girond region of the southwestern part of the country, forcing more than 37,000 to evacuate last week.
Although the temperature dropped overnight on Monday, firefighters’ efforts were hampered by strong gusts, dry conditions, and burning embers of burnt trees in the air, further spreading the flames.
“Climate conditions are crazy,” said Matthieu Jomain, a spokesman for the local firefighters unit. “It’s an explosive cocktail.”
Spain, Italy and Greece also survived large wildfires, and a series of grass fires broke out around the capital on Tuesday afternoon in London, burning several homes. This is an ominous sign that it could destroy the English Channel.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the city’s fire brigade was “under great pressure” and could declare a “serious incident” and focus its excess resources on the serious incident. Said that.
Temperatures in Paris reached 40.5 degrees Celsius, or 104.9 degrees Fahrenheit, on Tuesday. According to national weather forecasters, the city recorded temperatures in excess of 40 only twice in 1947 and 2019.
The UK had never recorded a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius before 2003, and until Tuesday the record was 38.7 degrees Celsius (101.7 degrees Celsius) set in Cambridge in 2019. The village of Sally, north of Gatwick Airport, reached 39.1 degrees Celsius, and soon after that set its new record far behind.
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At Heathrow Airport, mercury reached 40.2, breaking through barriers that were once unimaginable on the temperate northern islands. A few hours later, the Lincolnshire village of Coningsby broke the record when it reached 40.3 degrees, or 104.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
at least 34 sites broke old UK records On Tuesday, the National Weather Service, including at least six, reached 40 ° C, according to the British Meteorological Agency. Scotland was overwhelmed by its old record The reading at the charter hall for 32.9 is 34.8-94.6 Fahrenheit.
Fever continued the recent global pattern of leaping past records rather than breaking past records little by little.
In the excitement of the Guinness Book of Records depression, there was a solemn perception of the human costs of dangerous heat waves. London police said they had recovered the body from the Thames and believed it was the body of a 14-year-old boy who went missing while swimming on Monday.
As the temperature rose, so did the anxiety of the residents of the nursing home. Residential nursing homes are not equipped to handle the extreme heat. Many are housed in old or refurbished buildings without air conditioning. This is a particularly troublesome problem in the UK, with critics saying that the government’s improper treatment of nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic caused unnecessary deaths.
Experts and staff said greater steps need to be taken to protect the elderly. According to the National Security Agency, people over the age of 75, whether living alone or in a long-term care facility, are at greatest risk of serious complications from the heat.
“It’s a big concern because the last 48 hours have been unprecedented,” said Helen Wildbore, a board member of the Relatives and Residents Association, a national charity for the elderly and their relatives in long-term care facilities. Told. She said the organization’s helpline was flooded by phone last week.
But for most people, the second day of extraordinary heat almost always meant the second day of turmoil. Some public transport, many offices and some schools remained closed. The government urged people to continue working from home — a call for many to listen again on Tuesday — but as the school remains open.
Network Rail, which operates the national rail system, has issued a “not travel” warning for trains passing through areas covered by the “red” warning issued by the Met Office. The Red Zone covered an area extending from north of London to Manchester and York. Some railroad companies have canceled all services running north of the capital.
Trains are particularly susceptible to intense heat because the infrastructure (rails and overhead lines) is not built to handle three-digit temperatures. Those who are still running are subject to strict speed limits. The London Underground, which is mostly air-conditioned, has also shut down some services.
The UK’s heat wave has created a terrifying background for another big day in the intensifying, yet volatile competition to take over Boris Johnson as Conservative leader and prime minister. The fourth round of voting by Conservative lawmakers on Tuesday narrowed the field to three candidates. If there are only two left, the winner will be chosen by a general party vote.
Former Minister of Finance Rishi Sunak received 118 votes, ushering in the next stage. The lesser-known lower trade minister, Penny Mordaunt, who had a surprisingly active campaign, was second with 92 votes, and Foreign Minister Liz Truss was third with 86 votes.
Analysts said it was impossible to predict which would appear in the next vote on Wednesday, as there are no candidates gaining new momentum and the votes cast by the three survivors are relatively close. .. The new prime minister and prime minister will be announced in early September after the party’s vote.
Uncertainty and shattered heat records gave the feeling that British politics and weather were simultaneously plunging into unknown terrain.
Political campaigns rarely appear to be less tied to everyday reality. Climate change is poorly understood in discussions among candidates. Candidates provided only qualified support within that range to the United Kingdom, which adheres to the goal of reaching a “net zero” greenhouse gas emission by 2050.
“It reveals the gap between politicians and the general public,” said Tom Burke, chairman of E3G, an environmental think tank and former government adviser. “A recent series of meteorological events has confirmed science in the minds of the general public, but politicians, especially the right side, do not understand it.”
Mr Burke said Conservative candidates have promised smaller governments, lower taxes, and less regulation. Effective climate policy requires stricter regulations, state intervention, and some higher taxes, he said.
Of course, Britain is not the only country where climate policy has clashed with fears of pressure on living costs. In Washington, West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin cites a surge in inflation as the main reason for refusing to agree with other Democrats on the White House on a comprehensive climate package.
“The cost of living crisis is really an excuse for neglect,” Burke said.
Britain may be the epitome of the climate crisis, but it is done in a myriad of other ways throughout Europe.
In France, authorities responded to this week’s dangerous situation with warnings and emergency response plans, hoping to avoid repeated catastrophic deaths to the country in the heat of 2003. In August of that year, about 15,000 people died, including many elderly in unair-conditioned elderly housing with care, shocking the public and fueling anger at the government, which was considered unprepared.
In Greece, a wildfire struck the woodlands of northern Athens on Tuesday, ordering thousands of residents to leave their homes. Temperatures were not unusually high, but dry conditions and strong winds caused dozens of the largest wildfires in the Pentelicus region northeast of Athens.
In the Netherlands, workers sprayed water on a mechanical drawbridge above the canal in Amsterdam to prevent the metal in the canal from expanding, according to AP news agency. It can close bridges and block maritime traffic.
In all the heat and humidity, there was a promise of relief: forecasters across Europe said the heat would ease its grip by the middle of the week. In the UK, some showers are expected, temperatures are expected to plummet, and Wednesday fell below 80 degrees Fahrenheit in most of the country.
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