London — A day of record heat when storm clouds rushed into London on Tuesday night, causing wildfires, disrupting train journeys and straining urban infrastructure and medical services. After that, it brought the coveted relief to make the city dwellers enthusiastic.
The heat cleared on Wednesday, leaving a new city full of anxiety about how London and other European cities could cope with this increased frequency of extreme weather events.
Philipp Rode, executive director of LSECities, the London School of Economics Research Center, criticizes meteorologists, media, city planners, and climate scientists for “hysteric” warnings before the heat wave. Said that it proved to be wrong. Tuesday.
“The idea was completely uncovered because the effect was so dramatic,” Dr. Lord said. “Especially fires have become very symbolic not only because they are not ready, but also because they don’t really understand what has been said for decades. This will happen. is.”
The heat wave caused massive wildfires in France, Spain, Italy and Greece, with parts of the United Kingdom reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time on Tuesday, but for the third time in Paris. I hit that mark.
This is part of the concern caused by global warming, with global temperatures averaging about 2 degrees Fahrenheit higher than in the late 19th century, before the spread of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases. is. Scientists say that in Europe, the frequency and intensity of heat waves are increasing more rapidly than in most other parts of the globe.
Historically, heat was a rare threat in London and other European cities on the north latitude, but colds were frequent, but they needed to be adapted to stay livable, Dr. Lord said. Says.
“We have prepared very sophisticated infrastructure systems, railroads and energy systems for very specific climates, from how to design school buildings and hospitals,” he said. We planned a temperature range of about minus 10 overall. Up to 35 ° C. “And yesterday we went beyond that, and it then brings about these collapses.”
London emergency service Said in a statement There was a sustained demand for services that exposed the organization to “extreme pressure” as a direct result of the heat wave. Early data showed it on TuesdayThe number of emergency calls to treat heat exposure cases has increased 10-fold compared to the previous week.
The heat wave of the world this week
A hot and miserable summer. It was a cruel week in some parts of the world that were not built due to extreme heat, as Europe was hit by soaring temperatures and wildfires. Some US states have broken heat records set in dust bowls. Let’s see what happened.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Wednesday morning, Tuesday was the busiest day in the city’s fire department since World War II. The fire destroyed about 41 properties, many near grasslands that began to burn in the cruel heat, allowing the flames to spread rapidly.
“It shows the consequences of climate change due to temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius,” Khan said in an interview with BBC News.
Firefighters and their unions have been badly prepared due to years of lack of funding, including crew members who have been working for 14 hours with no breaks, food or water, and no backups available. Said he was. The London fire brigade said on Tuesday that more than a quarter of the fire trucks were unavailable due to staff shortages.
According to union officials, all engines in operation had been used and no engines were left to respond to new emergencies.
Extreme weather, fueled by climate change, also struck European cities with severe floods. A year ago, a fierce summer storm caused havoc from England to Croatia. West Germany was hit hardest, killing nearly 200 people, raining a month in a day in London and shutting down much of the city.
Dr. Lord said there was little political willingness to tackle the problem of extreme heat, as there are places like Australia and California where wildfire damage occurs on a regular basis.
“But I don’t have it here, so I think what we can hope for is that it’s a wake-up call,” he said. “Of course, we can make better preparations, but people need to understand that this is just the taste of the future.”
Houses in Northern Europe are built primarily to keep heat out, and many are poorly ventilated. In a dense city like London, poor air quality, abundant pavement, and relatively little greenery are intensifying each other’s influence, and plans with the European integrated city of British engineering firm Arup. Léan Doody, who heads the network, said.
Still, major cities are largely unprepared for this extreme new reality, and city officials are struggling to respond.
“I think things need to happen sooner,” said Doody. “It’s well known that there are these risks, but I think it’s all — everyday is taking over.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Mayor of London said, “It is clear that urgent action is needed to combat climate change, and in order to adapt London to our changing climate, cities around the world We have already taken some of the most radical actions of all. “
However, the statement added that the UK government was “not well prepared for the fact that it is already facing the effects of this heat event and climate change,” and “actions are now underway to address the risk of overheating in London.” It is necessary. ” .. “
The mayor’s office said it worked with local governments throughout the city to give the most vulnerable residents somewhere to cool off during the heat waves. Its “London Plan” is a blueprint for the city’s long-term development, encouraging builders to design it for extreme weather scenarios.
Cities replaced by dense buildings, concrete and asphalt with natural landscapes are hotter and retain heat longer than their surroundings. This is the “heat island” effect, which becomes a major concern as the climate warms.
England’s wider heat wave program, Issued by the government this monthIncludes personal advice on how to stay safe and guidance on how to protect your infrastructure.
However, critics say they are not advanced enough to address the problem with the kind of urgency needed. And if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t significantly curtailed, changing cities isn’t enough, Dr. Lord said.
“There are physical boundaries to adaptation at some point,” he said. “With all the intelligence, all the investment, and the technology we have, there are certain conditions that go beyond our ability to adapt.”
This week’s heat has revealed that even adaptation has barely begun. Nursing homes, often found in dilapidated and poorly ventilated buildings, struggled to keep residents hydrated and cool. Parents wrestled with whether it was safe to keep their children in an overheated apartment or send them to an overheated school.
The London Underground network can be stuffy on a normal summer day. Most trains have no air conditioning and old tunnels have few ventilation towers. Heat waves can cause the system to become unbearably hot.
Tracks can expand, warp, and buckle in extreme heat. This risks forcing some rail services to be canceled this week and encouraging other rail services to operate at lower speeds. Following that turmoil, the British rail network launched a task force on how to withstand future heat waves — addressing the long-anticipated crisis after it arrived.
Simon Fox, a scholar who was stuck in London for two days after the train to Leeds was canceled, said he felt “a tired resignation of a population accustomed to the decline of infrastructure.”
Fox was waiting for the train again at King’s Cross station on Wednesday. And other crowds were trying to find a way to continue their journey in the midst of a serious delay.
“One warm gust was all that was needed to overturn it,” he said.
Isabella Kwai When Yuan Ward Contribution report.