The question of whether to treat heat waves like storms is dividing experts.
In 2022, officials were completely unprepared for the first heat wave to strike the UK, with temperatures reaching 40°C. For Britons, whose usual summers are dull and drab with sporadic bursts of welcome brightness, this was unfamiliar territory. In the UK, even in our contemporary, warmer climate, July highs seldom reach 20°C on average. Now, a 4°C heatwave was predicted for the entire continent of Europe, slicing into the UK and endangering millions of people.
Candice Howarth, head of climate adaptation and resilience at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, states that “what happened back then had never happened before.” “The UK has little prior experience with these kinds of hazards. Thus, the problem’s seriousness is To prepare for the high temperatures, the Met Office — the UK’s official weather forecaster — issued its first-ever “red” warning for a heat event. Fortunately, the most intense temperature spike lasted a single day, and emergency services were able to cope. However, the heat wave still killed an estimated 1,200 people in the UK and sparked a conversation on how to handle the next one
quite difficult to convey.”
In contrast to hurricanes, wildfires, or floods, heat-related issues are sometimes undetectable until it’s too late. It is difficult to explain how “feeling hot,” a common human emotion, may quickly turn deadly, and it is even more difficult to advise others on when and how to respond. There are rising calls to unite around one strategy as governments and academia argue over which is most effective: naming heat waves. Very early results point to potential advantages.
“The Physiological Society, a global organization of experts in the functioning of the human body, says that heat waves are a weather event that should be treated with the severity that other weather events are treated,” stated Andrew Mackenzie, associate director of strategy and external relations.
Several organizations, including the Physiological Society, are calling
Be the first to comment