Latest news with #GaryfallosKonstantinoudis
Daily Mirror
27-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mirror
Met Office's brutal 40C heatwave verdict as UK climate 'escalates'
Following a series on intense heat spells, the Met Office have warned that UK heatwaves are about to get longer and hotter in the coming years - risking dangerously high temperatures of up to 40C Brits have been urged to brace for hotter and longer heatwaves, following alarming new data from the Met Office. The UK has been sweltering under sky-high temperatures in recent weeks thanks to a series of intense hot spells. In fact, last month was the warmest June on record in England, and the second warmest in the UK since records began back in 1994. Then, on July 1, the UK experienced its hottest day of the year, with St James' Park in London reaching a scorching 34.7C. While the balmy temperatures and blue skies were dramatically quashed this week thanks to heavy rain and thunderstorms that battered huge parts of the nation - it seems Britain is set to bask in the sunshine once again. Temperatures reaching up to 27C are expected to return to multiple towns and cities this weekend. While the odd heatwave (especially one that lands on a weekend) may be appreciated by pasty Brits wanting to top up their tan, experts are concerned about the frequency of these extreme conditions. Heatwaves have been linked with thousands of deaths in recent years - with a staggering 2,295 people dying due to five periods of heat across the summer of 2023. Last month, a rapid analysis found that the UK's intense heat spell will 'likely' kill almost 600 people in England and Wales. "Heatwaves are silent killers – people who lose their lives in them typically have pre-existing health conditions and rarely have heat listed as a contributing cause of death," said Dr Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, at Imperial College London. As a result, Met Office scientists have recently published a shocking study revealing the chance of temperatures exceeding 40°C in the UK is accelerating at pace. The UNSEEN study uses a global climate model to create a 'large set of plausible climate outcomes in the current climate'. This allows experts to predict the current risk and how extremes have changed over the last few decades. "The chance of exceeding 40°C has been rapidly increasing, and it is now over 20 times more likely than it was in the 1960s," Dr Gillian Kay, Senior Scientist at the Met Office, and lead author of the study states. "Because our climate continues to warm, we can expect the chance to keep rising." The study concluded that there is now a 50-50 chance of seeing another 40C day again in the next 12 years in the UK. "We also found that temperatures several degrees higher than we saw in July 2022 are possible in today's climate," Dr Kay added. Dr Nick Dunstone, Met Office Science Fellow and co-author of the study, warned that UK heatwaves are also becoming longer. "The well-known hot summer of 1976 had more than a fortnight above 28°C, which is a key heatwave threshold in southeast England," he explained. "Our study finds that in today's climate such conditions could persist for a month or more. These findings highlight the need to prepare and plan for the impacts of rising temperatures now, so we can better protect public health, infrastructure, and the environment from the growing threat of extreme heat."
Time of India
13-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
‘Silent killers': Climate change made European heatwaves deadlier; temperatures up by 4°C
Climate change made European heatwaves deadlier; temperatures up by 4°C Human-induced climate change made the recent heatwaves across Europe significantly more intense, with temperatures in many cities up to 4°C higher than they would have been without global warming, according to a recent study. Researchers from five European institutions studied 12 cities, including major capitals such as Paris, London and Madrid, which have a combined population of over 30 million. They concluded that additional heat likely led to a higher number of heat-related deaths than would have occurred in a cooler climate, scientists said on Wednesday, reported AFP. The findings raise fresh concerns about the increasing risks to public health, particularly for vulnerable groups. Heatwaves spanned from late June to early July, saw temperatures soar past 40°C in several European countries, setting new records and triggering health warnings. According to the EU's climate monitor Copernicus, June was the hottest on record in western Europe. The extreme heat forced the closure of schools and tourist attractions in many areas. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dukung Orang Terkasih Menghadapi Limfoma: Mulai Di Sini Limfoma Klik Di Sini Undo Analysis of historical weather data revealed that, in all but one of the 12 cities studied, the temperatures would have been 2–4°C cooler without the influence of human-caused climate change. 'What that does is it brings certain groups of people into more dangerous territory,' said Ben Clarke, a researcher from Imperial College London, which co-led the study along with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 'For some people, it's still warm, fine weather. But for now a huge sector of the population, it's more dangerous,' he added. For the first time, the study also attempted to estimate the number of deaths attributable to the heatwave and the role climate change played. 'An increase in heatwave temperature of just two or four degrees can mean the difference between life and death for thousands of people,' said Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, a lecturer at Imperial College London. 'This is why heatwaves are known as silent killers. Most heat-related deaths occur in homes and hospitals out of public view and are rarely reported,' he added. The researchers were based in the UK, Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland, emphasised that their estimate was only a partial snapshot of the overall impact, as official figures are not yet available. Heatwaves pose the greatest danger to the elderly, children, the sick, outdoor workers and those without access to cooling or shade. Urban areas face heightened risks due to the heat island effect, where buildings and paved surfaces absorb and retain more heat than surrounding areas.
Kuwait Times
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Kuwait Times
Deadly temperatures blasted western Europe in hot June
PARIS: Western Europe sweltered through its hottest June on record last month, as extreme temperatures blasted the region in punishing back-to-back heatwaves, the EU climate monitor Copernicus said Wednesday. Dangerous temperatures stretched into July, with separate research estimating that climate change made the heat up to 4C hotter, pushing the thermometer into deadly territory for thousands of vulnerable people and greatly worsening the projected death toll. Millions of people were exposed to high heat stress as daily average temperatures in western Europe climbed to levels rarely seen before — and never so early in the summer. Several countries recorded surface temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), with heat of up to 46C (114.8F) in Spain and Portugal, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said. 'In a warming world, heatwaves are likely to become more frequent, more intense and impact more people across Europe,' said Samantha Burgess, the EU monitor's Strategic Lead for Climate. The two heatwaves, in mid and late June, were linked to heat domes trapping warm air over affected regions and worsening pollution and wildfire conditions. France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and much of the Balkans saw some of the hottest 'feels-like' temperatures, which measure the impact on the human body by taking into account factors such as humidity. Maximum feels-like temperatures north of Lisbon hit 48C (118.4F), about 7C above average and associated with 'extreme heat stress', said Copernicus. Large parts of southern Europe also experienced so-called 'tropical nights', when overnight temperatures don't fall low enough to let the body recover. Heatwaves are particularly dangerous for the elderly, the sick, young children, outdoor workers, and anyone exposed to high temperatures for prolonged periods without relief. In separate research Wednesday, scientists drawing on historical weather data concluded the heat between June 23 and July 2 'would have been 2-4C cooler' without human-induced climate change in all but one of the 12 cities studied. They also for the first time sought to estimate how many people may have died, concluding that there may have been some 2,300 heat-related deaths over that period in the cities studied. Around two thirds of those, or 1,500, would not have happened without climate change, said the researchers, stressing that their estimate was just a snapshot of the wider heatwave. — AFP No official death toll is yet available, and the study has not been peer reviewed. 'An increase in heatwave temperature of just two or four degrees can mean the difference between life and death for thousands of people,' said Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, a lecturer at Imperial College London. 'This is why heatwaves are known as silent killers. Most heat-related deaths occur in homes and hospitals out of public view and are rarely reported,' he told reporters. Burgess said the impact of the heatwaves in Europe was intensified by record sea surface temperatures in the western Mediterranean. They hit an all-time daily maximum in June. Sea surface temperatures across the western Mediterranean were 'exceptionally high' in the month, some 5C above average in some areas. Temperatures surged to a record 27C on June 30, Copernicus said. The higher water temperatures reduced nighttime air cooling along the coasts, contributed to higher humidity, and harmed marine life. An AFP analysis based on Copernicus data, found that 12 countries and some 790 million people around the world experienced record heat last month. Dangerous heat blanketed parts of the United States, while in China, 102 weather stations logged the hottest-ever June day. Some measuring temperatures above 40C, according to state media. June saw a catalogue of weather extremes across the world. Devastating wildfires blazed across parts of Canada and southern Europe, while deadly flooding swept areas of South Africa, China and Pakistan. The Copernicus dataset, drawing on billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations, has recorded relentlessly rising temperatures as the planet warms as a result of humanity's emissions of greenhouse gases. Globally, last month was the third warmest June on record. The hottest June was in 2024 and the second hottest was in 2023, Copernicus said. While the recent blistering heat streak was partly stoked by warmer El Nino conditions, temperatures have remained at record or near-record levels even after that faded last year. – AFP
Local Italy
09-07-2025
- Health
- Local Italy
Climate change made recent European heatwave 'up to 4C hotter'
The high temperatures probably led to more heat-related deaths than would have occurred without the influence of global warming, concluded a rapid study of the episode by over a dozen researchers from five European institutions. Temperatures between late June and early July soared well above 40C in many European countries as the first heatwave of the summer broke records and triggered health warnings. The EU's climate monitor Copernicus said on Wednesday that June 2025 was the hottest on record in western Europe, where some schools and tourist sites were shuttered as the mercury soared. To assess what role climate change played, scientists compared how intense a heatwave would have been in a world that had not warmed due to burning masses of fossil fuels. Using historical weather data, they concluded the heatwave 'would have been 2 to 4C cooler' without human-induced climate change in all but one of the 12 cities studied. The added degrees greatly elevated the risk in these cities, which have a combined population of more than 30 million and include major capitals Paris, London and Madrid. 'What that does is it brings certain groups of people into more dangerous territory,' said researcher Ben Clarke, from Imperial College London, which co-led the study with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 'For some people it's still warm, fine weather. But for now a huge sector of the population, it's more dangerous.' The study, for the first time, also sought to estimate the death toll from the heatwave in the 12 cities studied, and how many could be attributed to climate change. Based on peer-reviewed scientific methods and established research on heat and mortality, the study concluded the heatwave likely caused about 2,300 deaths between June 23rd and July 2nd across the 12 cities studied. An estimated 1,500, or roughly two thirds, of these deaths would not have occurred had climate change not pushed temperatures to such dangerous highs, researchers said. The authors, from research institutions in the UK, Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland, stressed this estimate was just a snapshot of the wider heatwave, as no official count was yet available. Heatwaves are particularly dangerous for the elderly, the sick, young children, outdoor workers, and anyone exposed to high temperatures for prolonged periods without relief. The effect on health is compounded in cities, where heat is absorbed by paved surfaces and buildings, making urban areas hotter than their surroundings. Copernicus said large parts of southern Europe experienced so-called 'tropical nights' during the heatwave, when overnight temperatures don't fall low enough to let the body recover. 'An increase in heatwave temperature of just two or four degrees can mean the difference between life and death for thousands of people,' said Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, a lecturer at Imperial College London. 'This is why heatwaves are known as silent killers. Most heat-related deaths occur in homes and hospitals out of public view and are rarely reported,' he told reporters. Authorities say it could take weeks to tally a more definitive death toll from the recent heatwave, but similar episodes have claimed tens of thousands of lives in Europe during previous summers.
Local France
09-07-2025
- Health
- Local France
Climate change made recent European heatwave 'up to 4C hotter'
The high temperatures probably led to more heat-related deaths than would have occurred without the influence of global warming, concluded a rapid study of the episode by over a dozen researchers from five European institutions. Temperatures between late June and early July soared well above 40C in many European countries as the first heatwave of the summer broke records and triggered health warnings. The EU's climate monitor Copernicus said on Wednesday that June 2025 was the hottest on record in western Europe, where some schools and tourist sites were shuttered as the mercury soared. To assess what role climate change played, scientists compared how intense a heatwave would have been in a world that had not warmed due to burning masses of fossil fuels. Using historical weather data, they concluded the heatwave 'would have been 2 to 4C cooler' without human-induced climate change in all but one of the 12 cities studied. The added degrees greatly elevated the risk in these cities, which have a combined population of more than 30 million and include major capitals Paris, London and Madrid. 'What that does is it brings certain groups of people into more dangerous territory,' said researcher Ben Clarke, from Imperial College London, which co-led the study with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 'For some people it's still warm, fine weather. But for now a huge sector of the population, it's more dangerous.' The study, for the first time, also sought to estimate the death toll from the heatwave in the 12 cities studied, and how many could be attributed to climate change. Based on peer-reviewed scientific methods and established research on heat and mortality, the study concluded the heatwave likely caused about 2,300 deaths between June 23rd and July 2nd across the 12 cities studied. Advertisement An estimated 1,500, or roughly two thirds, of these deaths would not have occurred had climate change not pushed temperatures to such dangerous highs, researchers said. The authors, from research institutions in the UK, Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland, stressed this estimate was just a snapshot of the wider heatwave, as no official count was yet available. Heatwaves are particularly dangerous for the elderly, the sick, young children, outdoor workers, and anyone exposed to high temperatures for prolonged periods without relief. The effect on health is compounded in cities, where heat is absorbed by paved surfaces and buildings, making urban areas hotter than their surroundings. Copernicus said large parts of southern Europe experienced so-called 'tropical nights' during the heatwave, when overnight temperatures don't fall low enough to let the body recover. 'An increase in heatwave temperature of just two or four degrees can mean the difference between life and death for thousands of people,' said Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, a lecturer at Imperial College London. Advertisement 'This is why heatwaves are known as silent killers. Most heat-related deaths occur in homes and hospitals out of public view and are rarely reported,' he told reporters. Authorities say it could take weeks to tally a more definitive death toll from the recent heatwave, but similar episodes have claimed tens of thousands of lives in Europe during previous summers.
