Southern Europe is enduring a severe heatwave, with temperatures soaring to 46C in Spain and nearly all of mainland France under extreme heat alerts. Countries like Italy and Greece are also affected, facing unprecedented heat, prompting health warnings and emergency measures to protect citizens. Hospital admissions in Italy have increased dramatically. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres emphasizes that this extreme climate has emerged as the new normal, raising alarms over health risks linked to severe heat and the potential for wildfires across the region.
"Extreme heat is no longer a rare event – it has become the new normal," said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, underscoring the persistent rise in temperatures across Europe.
"Doctors are alarmed at the combination of hot days and uncomfortably warm nights, which can place lethal stress on the human body," highlighting the health risks amidst the ongoing heatwave.
In Italy, where 21 out of 27 cities faced the highest heat alert, hospital admissions in the hottest regions like Tuscany rose by 20%.
"This is unprecedented," said France’s ecology minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher, as heat warnings cover nearly all mainland France for the first time in history.
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