China News Service, July 21 (Meng Xiangjun) A record-breaking heat wave has swept across Europe recently, and at least five European countries have declared a state of emergency or issued a red alert.
Everything from public health and transportation to food and energy production is affected.
Combined with the Covid-19 pandemic, high inflation and an energy crisis, can Europe still breathe?
On July 18, local time, in the province of Zamora, Spain, a shepherd stood on the side of the road, and a fire in the distance destroyed a wheat field.
[The high temperature reaches 47 degrees and hundreds of people died]
This rare heat wave has made European countries subject to "baking tests".
France is in an emergency. The temperature in the country has exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. The seaside city of Biarritz has set a record high temperature of 42.9 degrees Celsius. The authorities had to evacuate 14,000 people.
Britain announced that the country had recorded temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius for the first time, putting even healthy people at risk of serious illness and even death, prompting the government to issue its first red alert for extreme heat.
Recently, the United Kingdom issued the first "extreme high temperature" red warning in history and entered a "national emergency".
Portugal complained: The highest temperature in the northern town of Pinjan soared to 47 degrees Celsius last week, and 659 people died in the heat of the week, mostly the elderly.
Spain said in a statement that the death toll in the country since the beginning of summer has exceeded 200 due to hot weather, and the data is expected to continue to grow.
More worryingly, the World Meteorological Organization has warned that climate anomalies like high temperatures will become more frequent.
The large amount of carbon dioxide produced by human activities may continue the trend of climate deterioration until at least 2060.
[The airport runway melted and the fire scene was "like hell"]
Taking the UK as an example, the situation is serious this time. Not only did the runway of London's Luton Airport melt due to the high temperature, but a railway track near London was also deformed and cracked.
Authorities have had to suspend flights and slow down transportation systems such as subways and trains.
Commuters are getting longer commutes, and some companies are simply taking holidays or letting employees work from home.
A man cools off by soaking his feet in a fountain in London, England.
According to reports, there is no tradition of installing air conditioners in England. In the past few years, the hot weather has led to a rush to buy electric fans. However, under this heat wave, many people who already have fans have found that the wind blowing from the fans is also hot.
People have to drag their families to stay in hotels near their homes just to enjoy the coolness of the air conditioner.
Transport Secretary Shapps estimated that it would be "many years" before the UK could fully upgrade its infrastructure to cope with the heat.
On the 20th local time, many headlines in the British media focused on the fires caused by hot and dry weather in and around London.
The fires have destroyed dozens of homes and affected thousands of people, leaving many homeless.
The British media described the UK as a "firebox", saying that on the country's "hottest day in history", people who were caught in the fire were running for their lives.
Image source: Screenshot of the British "Sun" report
Many British media described the UK as a huge flammable "kindergarten". Aerial photos showed that London and surrounding areas were in a mess after the fire.
The firefighters who participated in the firefighting lamented in an interview that the scene was "like hell".
16 firefighters were injured while fighting the fire.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said July 19 was the "busiest day" for the London Fire Department since records began after World War II, as the department may receive hundreds of calls a day reporting fires or calling for help. But on this day, they received more than 2,600 calls.
[Energy and food suffer into a vicious circle]
On July 18, the European Commission's Joint Research Center released the European Drought Report, stating that the drought was severe this month. 44% of the land in EU countries and the United Kingdom was in a "drought warning" state, and 9% was in a "drought warning" state.
The impact of drought is great. First, food production is reduced.
According to reports, in the spring of 2022, the rainfall in Europe is less than in previous years, and the climate has become abnormal. The water levels of rivers in France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Spain, Portugal and other countries have dropped, and the water storage capacity has tended to be depleted, affecting the growth of food crops. The grain harvest is not optimistic. .
On June 19, local time, in Benasco, Turin province, Italy, the Sangone River experienced the worst drought in 70 years, and the riverbed was dry to the bottom.
The second is life.
For example, more than 200 municipalities in Italy have issued ordinances strictly limiting water use.
Many towns shut down fountains, banned car washing, watering vegetable fields and gardens, and suspended drinking water supplies at night.
The third is energy shortage.
The water storage and power generation of hydropower stations in many European countries have declined, affecting the energy supply.
Spain's reservoirs are 31% below the 10-year average; Portugal's hydropower capacity is only 50% of the past seven-year average.
To make matters worse, after the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Europe launched an energy embargo against Russia, which made the energy problem more and more prominent.
The Hungarian government has declared a state of energy emergency; the head of the German Paper Industry Association said that the shortage of natural gas may greatly affect the production of German paper products, and even shut down completely in the future.
Data map: The Russian-European "North Stream-2" natural gas pipeline project landing facility pipeline, currently the project has been frozen by Germany.
However, in Europe, which lacks water in summer and "warmness" in winter, sanctions against Russia have been implemented in the sixth round, including part of the oil embargo and sanctions on Russian tankers.
The EU is also continuing to draft a seventh round of sanctions, this time embargoing Russian gas.
That's not all. According to foreign media reports, the European Commission intends to relax emission controls and use other more polluting energy sources, such as coal, to make up for the shortage of Russian natural gas.
The lives of Europeans began to change. Without oil and natural gas, they burned coal, cut down trees and burned wood. Politicians called for less bathing, less clothing, less driving, less going out, less electricity, and throwing away refrigerators, ovens, and washing machines.
Abandoning the modern way of life is only to reduce dependence on Russia.
As many European countries plan to burn coal this winter, the increase in greenhouse gas emissions will inevitably worsen the climate problem and form a vicious circle.
Europe, which has always regarded itself as environmental protection, has really closed its eyes and heart, and fought hard this time!
[The new crown epidemic is simultaneously attacked by inflation]
In addition to "dire waters", Europe will also be attacked by another wave of new crown epidemics and high inflation.
Kruger, director of the WHO European region, pointed out on the 19th that the mutant strain of Omicron has set off a new wave of new crown epidemics in Europe. In the past week, Europe has registered nearly 3 million new confirmed cases, accounting for nearly half of the world's new cases. Hospitalizations have also doubled, with nearly 3,000 deaths per week.
He warned that Europe must act to contain the outbreak to prevent countries from overwhelmed medical systems.
This also shows that the "lying flat" anti-epidemic methods such as the removal of the mandatory wearing of masks by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who stepped down not long ago, will not help to control the epidemic.
Data map: In Paris, France, tourists are tested for the new crown at the entrance of the Eiffel Tower.
Finally, look at the high inflation, low growth dilemma facing Europe.
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the embargo against Russia, and rising global food and energy prices have all severely impacted the EU economy.
Moreover, the new crown epidemic will not stop the car, and it will also affect economic growth.
The economic and financial cycle of the euro zone lags behind that of the United States. After the Fed took the lead in raising interest rates, the strengthening of the dollar made the exchange rate of the euro against the dollar continue to fall. Recently, there was even a rare situation of 1 euro against 1 dollar.
In early July, a survey by German pollster INSA showed that around 91% of Germans were saving money due to high inflation and high energy prices.
Whether shopping for clothes, food and water, vacations, car trips, or even cultural entertainment and subscription media products, Germans are keeping their wallets tight.
The economic "leader" Germany is like this, and the situation in other European countries can be seen.
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