Temperatures continued to set records all over the world on Saturday, from China to Europe and the United States, prompting the authorities to take drastic measures to deal with the heat and fires attributed to global warming and climate change.

 

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Edited by| Tony Wild

 

Nature  section -  CJ journalist

 

World – July,15,2023

 

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Starting from Saturday, Italy is expected to experience, from North to South, a heat wave during which temperatures will rise to unprecedented rates in the coming days, according to AFP.

Accordingly, the Italian Ministry of Health issued, on Friday, a red alert notice covering Saturday and Sunday in many major cities from Rome to Bologna and from Florence to Pescara with the expectation of recording 36-37 degrees Celsius from Sunday (residents feel that it is equivalent to 39 degrees Celsius), before the expected peak at the beginning of the week.

Claudio casardo, meteorologist and professor at the University of Turin, was quoted by the daily newspaper "Il Messaggero" as saying that "the ongoing climate change is making such rates more frequent and more intense compared to the past, even compared to recent years".

Health and medical services across the country have been put on alert to provide care to the most vulnerable and intervene in nursing homes.

In turn, Spain, eastern France, Germany and Poland are facing a massive heatwave. Among the Mediterranean countries, Greece is also suffering from a heat wave, which for the second day forced the authorities to close the Acropolis in Athens during the hours when the temperature rises.

The Ministry of Culture said that the site classified as one of the world heritage sites on the UNESCO list and is witnessing a high turnout will remain closed for a number of hours.

Indeed, some visitors to the Acropolis have felt unwell in recent days. On Thursday, the Greek Red Cross deployed a squad at the foot of the Acropolis to distribute "at least 30 thousand bottles of water" and provide assistance to tourists.

The authorities decided to keep most of the parks and green spaces in Athens also closed on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Spanish authorities said that a forest fire on the island of "La Palma" forced at least 500 to evacuate their homes in the first natural disaster to occur on the island since the eruption of a volcano in 2021.

The fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday morning in the area of El Pinar de pontagorda, a densely wooded area in the north of the island, which is part of the Canary Islands, as many European cities are expecting very high temperatures this week.

As for North Africa, Morocco has been experiencing a series of heatwaves since the beginning of summer. Red alerts have been issued in several states.

In Asia, some regions of China, including the capital Beijing, are experiencing a severe heatwave. Parts of eastern Japan are also expected to record 38-39 degrees Celsius on Sunday and Monday.

Tens of millions of Americans experienced dangerously high temperatures on Friday due to a strong heat wave stretching from California to Texas and even to parts of Florida, which is expected to peak at the end of the week.

Since the beginning of the week, a heat wave has been prevailing in the southwestern desert states, posing a health risk to the elderly, construction and delivery workers, and homeless people.

For several days now, the authorities have been constantly sounding the alarm and advising residents to avoid outdoor daytime activities and to watch for signs of dehydration, which can quickly become fatal in temperatures.

Meteorologists warned that" the most severe period of the heatwave begins " this weekend. And on Sunday the Nevada City may exceed the temperature record.

In California, the famous Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, is also likely to set records on Sunday, which may touch 54 degrees Celsius (130 degrees Fahrenheit).

Last weekend, high temperatures led to the deaths of 10 migrants along the US border with Mexico, according to Border Police.

In Texas, the city of El Paso on Thursday recorded a temperature that exceeded 37.7 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) for the 27th day.

The White House on Tuesday announced the development of a "national heat strategy". "Millions of Americans are being affected by extreme heat waves that are increasing in intensity, frequency and duration due to climate change,"President Joe Biden said in a statement.

Smoke from fires in Canada, where more than 500 fires are still out of control, caused air pollution in the northeastern United States last June.

Globally, June was the hottest month on record, according to the European Copernicus agency and the American NASA. After that, the entire first week of July was the hottest on record, according to preliminary data from the World Meteorological Organization.

The Organization warned that heat is one of the most dangerous weather-related events. Last summer, high temperatures in Europe alone caused the death of more than 60 thousand people, according to a recent study.

 

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