A rapid study by European scientists has revealed the impact of man-made global warming on recent extreme weather. They calculated the odds of record temperatures occurring with and without rising CO2 emissions.
"The July 2019 heat wave was so extreme over continental Western Europe that the observed magnitudes would have been extremely unlikely without climate change," their study concluded.
Temperatures would have been 1.5 to 3 degrees Celsius (2.7 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) lower in a world without the effects of rising carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the scientists said.
Their rapid study was conducted shortly after Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Britain all recorded record-high temperatures during a heat wave that swept up from the Sahara desert.
Scientists from the World Weather Attribution team used eight different sets of complex computer models to calculate the odds of this level of heat occurring now versus a world without rising CO2 emissions.
They found that the record temperatures can be expected every 50-150 years in the current climate. But without "human influence on climate," the phenomenon would happen less than once in 1,000 years.
The team also reaffirmed findings by other researchers that global warming is making heat waves more common.
The report's lead author, Robert Vautard of the Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace in France, said Europe needs to get used to such high temperatures, as heat waves are likely to become more frequent and intense.
Vautard said that by 2020, temperatures during periods of extreme weather could rise by another 3 degrees.
That would make France's recent record high temperature of 45.9C, recorded in Gallargues-le-Montueux on June 28, more like 48.9C.
New data from the UN's meteorological agency, based on the first 29 days of the month, showed July 2019 may end up being slightly warmer than July 2016 — the warmest month on record.
A similar wave of soaring temperatures in June made that month the hottest June since records began.
The heat wave has now moved north to Greenland, leading to a 10-15-degree spike in temperatures that is accelerating the melting of the island's ice sheet.
Europe's heat wave: Desperate times call for desperate measures
As the continent swelters, governments and businesses have found creative ways to ensure life doesn't come to a standstill. Solutions for melting roads, buckling rail tracks and parched zoo animals have been dreamed up.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Miletic
Gritting in summer?
In the Netherlands, one municipality is spraying salted water on its roads to stop them from melting or cracking in the extreme heat. The salt extracts moisture from the air, which in turn cools the asphalt. Much of Germany's autobahn network has asphalt coated with a special substance that absorbs moisture more quickly, according to local authorities.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/ANP/K. Van de Veen
The great whitewash
Austria's railway network has deployed an army of workers to paint a 5-kilometer stretch of rail track white. It wants to test whether the paint will help the steel tracks, which can expand and buckle during a heatwave, to stay cooler. The metal can rise to 70 degrees Celcius. Rail travelers near Blundenz, about 60 kilometers south of Lindau on Lake Constance shouldn't notice any difference.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/ÖBB
Customers keep their cool
Businesses face potential revenue losses if consumers sit out the sticky weather at home. Germany's Bayreuth Festival saw a wave of returned tickets for performances of composer Richard Wagner's operas due to a lack of air conditioning in the theater. The Berlin Dungeon, on the other hand, helped tourists to stay cool by filling coffins with icy water and inviting visitors to dunk their heads.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Pedersen
Too hot to handle
Europe's nuclear power stations rely on water from nearby rivers or seas to cool reactors used for electricity generation. A power plant at Grohnde, in central Germany, was due to be shut down on Friday afternoon because the water in the nearby Weser river was thought to be too hot. Lower Saxony's environment ministry said the plant would remain closed until the river temperature has fallen.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Stratenschulte
Riot trucks repurposed
In the German city of Wuppertal, a water cannon truck has been put to what environmental activists would say is a much better use. Some 40,000 liters of water was sprayed on the side of roads to keep the much-loved trees alive, which city officials said also aids road safety. After all, falling dead trees are a danger to traffic. City workers have also distributed 400 water sacks to younger trees.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/C. Otte
Never mind the planet
The heatwave has prompted a continent not known for air conditioning to consider, in unison, installing the temperature cooling devices. According to Google Trends, searches for air conditioning (Klimagerät in German, or climatisation in French) and similar terms have skyrocketed over the past week, along with "pubs with air conditioning near me" in Britain, which spiked 2,100%.
Image: Imago Images/A. Popov
The ice creams are on me
During exceedingly hot temperatures, European zoos have begun freezing their animals' food to help them stay cool. Fruit, vegetables and even fish have been turned into popsicles on which the animals can feast. In the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, the public has been asked to watch out for grazing horses, cattle and sheep left without sufficient water and shade.
