As I sit in the United Kingdom experts are describing the heatwave in western Europe as the most severe and widespread ever and only possible because of the climate crisis driven by fossil fuel burning.
Almost half of Europe’s 850 large cities are suffering their worst ever heat stress because of a combination of temperature and humidity.
Muggier conditions mean sweating is less effective at cooling the body.
These sound the alarm that we must transition rapidly to renewable energy sources now.
In England, the UK Met Office issued ‘‘Red Heat’’ alerts where adverse health effects were likely to be experienced not only by vulnerable groups but across a wider population.
There have been four consecutive record temperature days — 34.6⁰C, 36.1⁰C, 36.7⁰C and 37.1⁰C — only three makes it a heatwave.
Chaos is ensuing.
Doctors describe awful conditions as the extreme heat dramatically affects National Health Service (NHS) hospitals.
The hot weather has caused a surge in admissions and arrivals at accident and emergency departments, causing severe overcrowding and pressure on infrastructure.
Very few places have air conditioning with staff really struggling.
Doctors have said though they were working in a relatively new setting, it was tacked on to an old “Victorian” hospital, with IT servers overheating and cooling units failing.
Dr Hillary Williams the clinical director said the NHS was dangerously unprepared.
``Buildings must be upgraded to withstand extreme heat and other climate risks.’’
Trusts are urgently co-ordinating responses to increased demand for health services and protecting vulnerable patients.
We stopped in a store on a layby to catch refreshments and found that the outlet could not boil any water and the refrigerators were leaking.
Over 1000 schools are also sending pupils home as many classrooms are overheating.
Despite the UK Climate Change Commission’s recommendations to Parliament being mandatory it appears little preparation has been made.
Climate scientists and myself are feeling like a broken record with our global warming warnings, to no avail yet.
There is still plenty we can still do.
To prepare for a heatwave, we can stock up on drinking water, cooling supplies and non-perishable foods.
Homes can be prepared against outside heat by utilising blackout curtains and setting up cross-ventilation — always know the nearest air-conditioned public spaces.
Inside homes, manage windows and blinds: keep curtains, blinds and shades closed on sun-facing windows during the hottest hours to block direct sunlight.
Create a ventilation cycle: only open your windows late at night or early in the morning when the outside air is cooler than the indoor air, ideally creating a cross-breeze.
Reduce internal heat: limit the use of ovens or stoves and turn off any non-essential electronics or lights, as they generate heat.
More critically, reduce fossil fuel emissions.
Reducing emissions requires transitioning to clean energy and improving efficiency across daily life, transportation and industry.
Key steps include shifting to more renewable energy, upgrading to electric vehicles and heat pumps, reducing personal energy consumption and supporting systemic changes like sustainable urban planning.
Scientists are reacting, year after year, to record heat extremes and to the shrinkage of our iconic Southern Alps glaciers with ``yes this is climate change and yes, it is us’’.
We have the solutions and we can implement them rapidly.
• Queenstown resident Dr Jim Salinger is an adjunct research fellow, Victoria University of Wellington.
