Scorching summer conditions, extreme heat and wildfires

The summer of 2022 was Europe’s hottest ever Credit: VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images

The human toll of last year’s scorching summer conditions has been laid bare in new research which estimates that more than 61,000 people died in Europe from the record-breaking 2022 heatwaves, with the highest loss of life recorded among the over-80s. In Britain, up to 3,469 people are believed to have died from the high temperatures – the highest number in any given year. Such a large number of heat-related European deaths has not been recorded since the summer months of 2003, when more than 70,000 people perished – in what, to this day, remains the continent’s most catastrophic natural disaster of the 21st century. Yet these mass mortality events may soon become a thing of the near future as global temperatures continue to rise, according to researchers. Samuel Lovett explores what could become the new normal across the continent.

Floods are also providing ideal conditions for mosquitoes to thrive Credit: Rick Bowmer/AP

Holiday makers heading across the channel this summer have been warned mosquitoes are spreading further into northern and western Europe, bringing diseases such as dengue and yellow fever with them. Invasive mosquito species are now established in three times more regions than a decade ago, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The health watchdog said the trend was being driven by increasingly frequent and severe heat waves. Floods are also providing ideal conditions for mosquitoes including the Aedes albopictus – known to carry chikungunya and dengue viruses – to thrive. In 2013, the species had gained a foothold in eight countries across the continent, affecting 114 regions. A decade later, the Aedes albopictus is now established in 13 countries and 337 regions – including all of Italy and Croatia, and parts of Spain, France and Germany. Its cousin, the stripey Aedes aegypti, is not so well adapted to temperate climates, but has also been spotted in countries including Georgia and Cyprus. This is of particular concern as the insect is not only a more efficient transmitter of dengue and chikungunya, but it also carries pathogens such as yellow fever. Sarah Newey explores the potential threat facing tourists travelling to Europe.

Low-lying subtropical Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to climate change Credit: Peter Yeung

As extreme heat and wildfires hit Europe, experts are turning to an unlikely source for climate change advice – Bangladesh. The South Asian nation is on the front line of global warming, yet it is leading the way in learning how to live with it. Bangladesh’s progress is in stark contrast with the situation in Europe, which in recent years has seen 180 Germans killed by flash floods, numerous deaths due to unprecedented wildfires in France, Spain and Greece, and an historic heatwave that killed more than 61,000 people across the continent. European authorities are now scrambling to learn what they can about the country’s successful early warning weather defence system. Peter Yeung reports.

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