High Temperatures Breaking Records All Across Europe

High temperatures have resulted in many deaths and put a huge strain on the healthcare system

In the past few months, temperatures have risen across Europe and Great Britain. Countries such as France, Spain, and Portugal have been experiencing forest fires due to this heat. La Teste-De-Buch in France is just one of the locations where people have had to evacuate.

The extreme heat from Europe has made its way over Britain. This week, temperatures in London will break the record high temperature of 38 degrees Celsius in 2019. With a usual warmth of 21 degrees Celsius, Tuesday, July 19, is expected to be a high of 41.

This heat affects travel because England is not constructed for this high of temperatures. The railways are closing because the tracks do not handle the heat, and even runways at airports have reached too high temperatures to be safe. However, the temperatures seem significantly lower for the rest of the week.

A couple of things may be causing these extreme temperatures that all tie into one another. Firstly, global warming comes from increased carbon dioxide emissions and greenhouse gases leaching into the ozone, creating more frequent and higher intensity heat. Next is the circulation of ocean currents and jet streams. How the ocean moves and carries the wind helps keep Europe mild. Winds and currents, however, have weakened in the past few years, causing temperature fluctuations to change. This makes for drier and warmer summers when the winds cannot provide a breeze.

These issues of warmer temperatures spreading across the world are not going away. We are finally feeling the effects of climate change providing evidence that our world cannot sustain our activity. These record-breaking high temperatures all across Europe and Britain will harm everyone.