This week, many regions in Europe set temperature records. On June 24 local time in France, it was the hottest day on record, with temperatures reaching as high as 43.3 degrees Celsius in some areas; southern England experienced temperatures of 38.8 degrees Celsius, setting a record for the highest temperature in June in the country; Spain had an average daily temperature of 28.08 degrees Celsius in June, the highest level since 1950.
Extreme heat has caused widespread problems for European infrastructure. According to a report by the American newspaper The New York Times on the 27th, prolonged high temperatures in Western Europe have caused railway tracks to deform and fires to occur, leading to chaos in many countries' railway systems. In France, several nuclear power plants were forced to reduce their power output or even shut down due to cooling water discharged into rivers that exceeded specified temperature levels. Museums are unable to control indoor temperatures and have had to shorten their opening hours. Due to the high temperatures, French workers have demanded that work be halted…
In addition, hundreds of thousands of French and Italian residents have experienced power outages. The persistent high temperatures have turned many old buildings with thick walls in Europe into "steaming ovens," where heat cannot be dissipated at night. Europeans who can’t sleep due to the intense heat have to flock to parks in the middle of the night to cool off, rush to buy portable air conditioners, or even go to hotels to escape the heat.
Everyone is asking why we weren't prepared? Professor François-Xavier Remen of the Paris Institute of Business and Political Studies said, "We are now beginning to realize our own fragility."
An increasing number of experts are warning that while extreme heat conditions have evolved from "abnormal weather" to a "new normal," Europe is not yet prepared for this change. Most of Europe's infrastructure, including buildings, transportation systems, and power grids, was designed and built according to climate conditions that were typical of decades or even centuries ago. The New York Times notes that this makes Europe more vulnerable to the damage caused by high temperatures compared to other regions that have long been adapted to hot weather conditions.
Due to the thermal expansion of steel rails, train cancellations or delays occurred in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland this week. In France, some train operations were canceled due to insufficient air conditioning systems or because the on-board equipment couldn't withstand the high temperatures.
On June 11 local time, a railway track in the UK caught fire due to high temperatures. Social Media
French Electric Power Group (EDF) announced that this week, reactors at four nuclear power plants in France had to be shut down or operate at reduced power levels. Normally, nuclear power plants use river water to cool the reactors, and then discharge the cooled water back into the rivers. However, French environmental regulations stipulate that hot water should not be discharged when river temperatures are too high, in order to avoid damaging river ecosystems. Therefore, some nuclear power plants were forced to reduce their power output or even shut down completely.
A recent report by Deutsche Asset Management indicates that Italy, France, Germany, and Spain are among the economies with the highest risks under high temperatures.
The incomplete infrastructure also poses a more serious threat to Europe. On the 25th local time, the French government raised the alert level of its national healthcare system to the highest level. French Health Minister Stephanie Rist said that the number of cardiac arrests nationwide has increased by about four times compared to normal levels. Statistical data released by Spain also show a significant increase in deaths recently.
In addition to the low prevalence of air conditioning, The Times magazine in the United States reported on the 26th that, due to global warming, heatwaves sweeping across Europe are becoming more intense. Europe is experiencing warming at a rate twice that of the global average, making it the continent with the fastest pace of warming, second only to the Arctic region. Although Southern Europe is always subject to hot weather, most of Europe has long had a cool climate, and local buildings and infrastructure were designed and built for such conditions. Now, rapid warming makes it difficult for many countries to cope with unprecedented heatwaves that occur every summer, posing a threat to people's safety.
A study published in 2023 compared the changes in mortality rates across 800 cities worldwide under different temperatures. The results showed that in long-greath hot cities like Houston, Texas, and Tokyo, the impact of high temperatures on the risk of death was relatively limited. In contrast, cities in European countries such as France, Spain, and Italy experienced a significant increase in mortality rates as temperatures rose.
Anna Mavrogiannis, an expert in building environments at University College London, analyzed that many buildings in Northern Europe were constructed decades or even centuries ago. The design goal at the time was to keep warm, so insulation materials were widely used, which instead helped to "lock" heat inside the building. Additionally, many buildings lack external shading structures that can block direct sunlight, resulting in continuous increases in indoor temperatures.
"These buildings don't have the capacity to handle the current high temperatures." She said.
In fact, for many years, governments in European countries have been discussing the renovation of buildings and the upgrading of infrastructure to accommodate rising temperatures.
France released a 388-page climate adaptation plan last year, outlining 52 specific measures. London, UK, also announced new plans this week to deal with high temperatures in the city. The plan involves significant renovations of residential and public buildings. It was noted that more than 1,300 schools, 60 hospitals, and 351 nursing homes in the area are at risk due to high temperatures.
However, these plans generally face the same challenge—funding. The European Environment Agency pointed out that all EU member states have developed climate adaptation plans, but “long-term funding shortages” is a common problem.
This is a classic case of time-based tragedy.” Rumeln said, "You must invest now to avoid the greater cost in the future."
Mafrogini said, "Unfortunately, it is often only after experiencing extreme weather multiple times that reforms can actually begin. I hope that when the temperature drops, people will not forget all of this."
