The heatwave currently sweeping Europe is just a "dress rehearsal" for the summers to come, and the worst is yet to come, warned today by the World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, quoted by DPA.
“Summers will be more severe going forward“, Hans Kluge predicted in a statement. He warned that Europe is warming more than twice as fast as the global average and that heatwaves are no longer exceptions, but recurring crises that are becoming more frequent, more intense and longer lasting.
“Every summer we are not prepared for them (heatwaves) costs us "People's lives are at stake," Kluge said.
He noted that in France, emergency medical calls had increased by up to 50% in some cities, and London's emergency services had recorded their highest number of life-threatening emergency calls in a single day.
Spain's mortality monitoring system has already recorded more than 300 heat-related deaths in just a few days. Italy reported five deaths in 24 hours.
But Kluge stressed that "preventive measures are working," and cited examples of success in dealing with the heat. The Spanish city of Barcelona has expanded its network of climate shelters to include libraries, community centers, parks and pharmacies.
Paris has activated its register to check the health of elderly and vulnerable residents and has restricted the sale of alcohol.
Some regions of Italy have introduced restrictions on outdoor work during the hottest hours of the day, as well as voluntary work leave schemes so that workers do not lose their income.
Kluge called for more decisive action.
“More than half of European countries still do not have a comprehensive action plan to protect health in heat waves. This must change,” he said.