The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) believes that the current heatwave should be viewed as a warning for countries that are increasingly emitting CO2 into the Earth’s atmosphere.
People cool off at a fountain during the heatwave in Seville, Spain. (Photo: CNN)
Speaking at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, WMO President Petteri Taalas stated: “Heatwaves will occur more frequently, and this negative trend will continue… at least until 2026, regardless of how successful our climate change mitigation efforts are.” According to Taalas, due to climate change, records have already begun to be broken, and “in the future, these heatwaves will become more normal, and we will witness even more severe heat events.”
The WMO President emphasized that emissions are still increasing daily, so “there is no certainty that we will see a peak by 2060 unless we find ways to reverse this trend, especially in high-emission countries in Asia.”
During the same press conference, WMO’s climate chief, Robert Stefanski, noted that the concerning fact is that the time between two new record high temperature readings is becoming shorter. The record high temperature in Greece recorded in 1977 was broken in 2021. But just a year later, in 2022, temperatures again reached this record level.
Maria Neira, the head of the environment, climate, and health sector at the World Health Organization (WHO), reminded that the 2003 heatwave in Europe claimed the lives of over 70,000 people. She warned that the current heatwave will increase the number of sick individuals, starting with illnesses such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat strokes, and high fevers.
