Climate change made ‘relentless' Nordic heatwave in July hotter and more likely
The extreme weather for the region, which came at the peak Nordic holiday season, led to heat-related deaths, overcrowded hospitals, an increase in drownings, wildfires, algal blooms on coastlines and sightings of reindeer straying into towns seeking shade and water.
The latest results show how burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, which release heat-trapping gases that drive global warming, are causing more extreme heatwaves.
They come as southern Europe is hit by record scorching temperatures, soaring past 40C and causing widespread wildfires.
And in the UK, parts of the country are under an 'amber heat health alert' in the fourth heatwave of the summer as temperatures climb into the 30s this week.
Climate-cool countries are not prepared for extreme heat, experts say (Alamy/PA)
Researchers looking at the Nordic heatwave, which in Finland led to a record-breaking 22 consecutive days above 30C, found that in a world without climate change, a similar two-week period of extreme heat would be extremely rare.
But today, with 1.3C of warming caused by humans burning fossil fuels, such a heatwave is at least 10 times more likely and would now be expected about every 50 years.
Climate change also made the event about 2C hotter, the rapid attribution study found.
As the climate warms, Norway, Sweden and Finland will face more dangerous heatwaves, and if warming reaches 2.6C above pre-industrial levels by 2100 as projected, without more rapid action to halt fossil fuel use, they will become five times more likely and another 1.4C hotter than today.
The scientists also said that the 0.2C in global warming since a similar two-week heatwave in the region in 2018 has made such an event twice as likely – showing how small increases in warming expose people to more frequent dangerous heat events.
Dr Clair Barnes, researcher at the Centre for Environmental Policy Imperial College London, and one of the WWA team, said: 'This heatwave was relentless.
'Two weeks of temperatures above 30C in this region is unusual and of course, highly concerning.
'Climate change is fundamentally reshaping the world we live in.
'Cold-climate countries like Norway, Sweden and Finland are now experiencing unfamiliar levels of heat, as recently seen in strained health systems and sightings of reindeer seeking shade in urban areas.
'We found that the likelihood of a prolonged period of heat like this has almost doubled since 2018, when the region last experienced such an intense heatwave – and this trend is going to continue if we don't stop filling the atmosphere with planet-heating gasses.
'A rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is the only way to slow and, hopefully, ultimately stop this warming.'
Prof Friederike Otto, professor in climate science at the Centre for Environmental Policy Imperial College London, said: 'Even comparably cold Scandinavian countries are facing dangerous heatwaves today with 1.3C of warming.
'This event should be taken as another reminder that no country is safe from climate change.'
She pointed to sweltering temperatures that have hit the US, Japan and South Korea in recent weeks, and triggered huge wildfires in France and Turkey, saying 'burning oil, gas and coal is killing people today'.
In the UK, experts also warn that homes, hospitals, workplaces and schools are not prepared for the impact of increasingly dangerous heat.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
a day ago
- Wales Online
Climate change made ‘relentless' Nordic heatwave in July hotter and more likely
Climate change made 'relentless' Nordic heatwave in July hotter and more likely Researchers said the two weeks of unusually hot weather from mid-July, with temperatures above 30C, would be "extremely rare" without human-caused global warming. A huge sunflower under the sun ahead of the Southport Flower Show (Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo) Climate change made the recent "relentless" heatwave in Norway, Sweden and Finland about 2C hotter and at least 10 times more likely, scientists have said. Researchers from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) network, which assesses the role of climate change in extreme weather, said the two weeks of unusually hot weather from mid-July, with temperatures above 30C, would be "extremely rare" without human-caused global warming. The extreme weather for the region, which came at the peak Nordic holiday season, led to heat-related deaths, overcrowded hospitals, an increase in drownings, wildfires, algal blooms on coastlines and sightings of reindeer straying into towns seeking shade and water. The latest results show how burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, which release heat-trapping gases that drive global warming, are causing more extreme heatwaves. They come as southern Europe is hit by record scorching temperatures, soaring past 40C and causing widespread wildfires. And in the UK, parts of the country are under an "amber heat health alert" in the fourth heatwave of the summer as temperatures climb into the 30s this week. Article continues below Researchers looking at the Nordic heatwave, which in Finland led to a record-breaking 22 consecutive days above 30C, found that in a world without climate change, a similar two-week period of extreme heat would be extremely rare. But today, with 1.3C of warming caused by humans burning fossil fuels, such a heatwave is at least 10 times more likely and would now be expected about every 50 years. Climate change also made the event about 2C hotter, the rapid attribution study found. As the climate warms, Norway, Sweden and Finland will face more dangerous heatwaves, and if warming reaches 2.6C above pre-industrial levels by 2100 as projected, without more rapid action to halt fossil fuel use, they will become five times more likely and another 1.4C hotter than today. The scientists also said that the 0.2C in global warming since a similar two-week heatwave in the region in 2018 has made such an event twice as likely – showing how small increases in warming expose people to more frequent dangerous heat events. Dr Clair Barnes, researcher at the Centre for Environmental Policy Imperial College London, and one of the WWA team, said: "This heatwave was relentless. "Two weeks of temperatures above 30C in this region is unusual and of course, highly concerning. "Climate change is fundamentally reshaping the world we live in. "Cold-climate countries like Norway, Sweden and Finland are now experiencing unfamiliar levels of heat, as recently seen in strained health systems and sightings of reindeer seeking shade in urban areas. "We found that the likelihood of a prolonged period of heat like this has almost doubled since 2018, when the region last experienced such an intense heatwave – and this trend is going to continue if we don't stop filling the atmosphere with planet-heating gasses. "A rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is the only way to slow and, hopefully, ultimately stop this warming." Prof Friederike Otto, professor in climate science at the Centre for Environmental Policy Imperial College London, said: "Even comparably cold Scandinavian countries are facing dangerous heatwaves today with 1.3C of warming. Article continues below "This event should be taken as another reminder that no country is safe from climate change." She pointed to sweltering temperatures that have hit the US, Japan and South Korea in recent weeks, and triggered huge wildfires in France and Turkey, saying "burning oil, gas and coal is killing people today". In the UK, experts also warn that homes, hospitals, workplaces and schools are not prepared for the impact of increasingly dangerous heat.
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
‘No country is safe': deadly Nordic heatwave supercharged by climate crisis, scientists say
The prolonged Nordic heatwave in July was supercharged by the climate crisis and shows 'no country is safe from climate change', scientists say. Norway, Sweden and Finland have historically cool climates but were hit by soaring temperatures, including a record run of 22 days above 30C (86C) in Finland. Sweden endured 10 straight days of 'tropical nights', when temperatures did not fall below 20C (68F). Global heating, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, made the heatwave at least 10 times more likely and 2C hotter, the scientists said. Some of the weather data and climate models used in their analysis indicated the heatwave would have been impossible without human-caused climate breakdown. The heat had widespread effects, with hospitals overheating and overcrowding and some forced to cancel planned surgery. At least 60 people drowned as outdoor swimming increased, while toxic algal blooms flourished in seas and lakes. Hundreds of wildfires burned in forests and people were reported fainting at holiday-season events. In the last major heatwave in the region, in 2018, 750 people died early in Sweden alone, and scientists anticipate a similar toll once the data is processed. Wildlife was also affected, especially the Scandinavian peninsula's famous reindeer. Some animals died in the heat and others entered towns seeking shade. Drivers were warned that reindeer could seek to cool down in road tunnels. Much of the northern hemisphere has experienced heatwaves in recent weeks. This includes the UK, Spain and Croatia, where wildfire destruction is almost double the 20-year average, and the US, Japan and South Korea. Scientists are certain that the climate crisis has intensified this extreme weather. Prof Friederike Otto, a climatologist at Imperial College London who leads the World Weather Attribution (WWA) collaboration, which did the Nordic analysis, said: 'Even relatively cold Scandinavian countries are facing dangerous heatwaves today with 1.3C of warming – no country is safe from climate change. 'Burning oil, gas, and coal is killing people today. Fossil fuels are supercharging extreme weather and to stop the climate from becoming more dangerous, we need to stop burning them and shift to renewable energy.' Heatwaves such as the one in Scandinavia will become another five times more frequent by 2100 if global heating reaches 2.6C, which is the trajectory today. Maja Vahlberg, a Swedish expert at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, said: 'This July reminded us that in the north, heat is not a distant threat but is seeping into hospitals, care facilities and homes. Our infrastructure was not built to withstand these extreme temperatures and our ageing population is increasingly susceptible to dangerous heat. 'I watched a reindeer stay in the same patch of shade for three days straight without grazing, a quiet sign of the strain the heat was causing,' she said. The rapid WWA study on the role of human-caused global heating in the Nordic heatwave compared the likelihood of the high temperatures in today's hotter climate with that in the cooler preindustrial period, focusing on the hottest two-week period in each country. It found that even the relatively small 0.2C rise in global temperature since 2018 had doubled the chance of such heatwaves, showing that every fraction of a degree mattered, the scientists said. 'Climate change is fundamentally reshaping the world we live in,' said Dr Clair Barnes, at Imperial College London. A striking aspect of the heatwaves was the number of tropical nights. 'At one station in northern Sweden, we had 10 of these days at the end of July, which is extraordinary,' said Prof Erik Kjellström, at the Swedish Meteorological Institute. Amalie Skålevåg, at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, said: 'Hot nights can be dangerous when the body does not get a chance to rest and recover after a hot day, and this is particularly true for people with underlying health conditions.' The effects of the heatwave on reindeer threaten the livelihoods of Indigenous Sámi communities, which have herded them for more than 1,000 years. 'Such disruptions also threaten [the Sámi's] health and their right to sustain a way of life – this makes climate change a human rights issue,' said Vahlberg.
North Wales Chronicle
a day ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Climate change made ‘relentless' Nordic heatwave in July hotter and more likely
Researchers from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) network, which assesses the role of climate change in extreme weather, said the two weeks of unusually hot weather from mid-July, with temperatures above 30C, would be 'extremely rare' without human-caused global warming. The extreme weather for the region, which came at the peak Nordic holiday season, led to heat-related deaths, overcrowded hospitals, an increase in drownings, wildfires, algal blooms on coastlines and sightings of reindeer straying into towns seeking shade and water. The latest results show how burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, which release heat-trapping gases that drive global warming, are causing more extreme heatwaves. They come as southern Europe is hit by record scorching temperatures, soaring past 40C and causing widespread wildfires. And in the UK, parts of the country are under an 'amber heat health alert' in the fourth heatwave of the summer as temperatures climb into the 30s this week. Researchers looking at the Nordic heatwave, which in Finland led to a record-breaking 22 consecutive days above 30C, found that in a world without climate change, a similar two-week period of extreme heat would be extremely rare. But today, with 1.3C of warming caused by humans burning fossil fuels, such a heatwave is at least 10 times more likely and would now be expected about every 50 years. Climate change also made the event about 2C hotter, the rapid attribution study found. As the climate warms, Norway, Sweden and Finland will face more dangerous heatwaves, and if warming reaches 2.6C above pre-industrial levels by 2100 as projected, without more rapid action to halt fossil fuel use, they will become five times more likely and another 1.4C hotter than today. The scientists also said that the 0.2C in global warming since a similar two-week heatwave in the region in 2018 has made such an event twice as likely – showing how small increases in warming expose people to more frequent dangerous heat events. Dr Clair Barnes, researcher at the Centre for Environmental Policy Imperial College London, and one of the WWA team, said: 'This heatwave was relentless. 'Two weeks of temperatures above 30C in this region is unusual and of course, highly concerning. 'Climate change is fundamentally reshaping the world we live in. 'Cold-climate countries like Norway, Sweden and Finland are now experiencing unfamiliar levels of heat, as recently seen in strained health systems and sightings of reindeer seeking shade in urban areas. 'We found that the likelihood of a prolonged period of heat like this has almost doubled since 2018, when the region last experienced such an intense heatwave – and this trend is going to continue if we don't stop filling the atmosphere with planet-heating gasses. 'A rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is the only way to slow and, hopefully, ultimately stop this warming.' Prof Friederike Otto, professor in climate science at the Centre for Environmental Policy Imperial College London, said: 'Even comparably cold Scandinavian countries are facing dangerous heatwaves today with 1.3C of warming. 'This event should be taken as another reminder that no country is safe from climate change.' She pointed to sweltering temperatures that have hit the US, Japan and South Korea in recent weeks, and triggered huge wildfires in France and Turkey, saying 'burning oil, gas and coal is killing people today'. In the UK, experts also warn that homes, hospitals, workplaces and schools are not prepared for the impact of increasingly dangerous heat.
