
Extreme heat waves spark climate emergencies worldwide
According to Iran's national meteorological service, the country is sweltering through its hottest week of the year, with temperatures hitting above 50 degrees Celsius. In Tehran, the temperatures shot up to 40 degrees on Sunday.
As the searing heatwaves persisted, Tehran's water authority had urged residents to cut down water consumption by at least 20 per cent, warning that reservoirs at the dams supplying water to the capital have sunk to "their lowest levels in a century."
Some 3,500 km west of Tehran, the Greek capital of Athens is enduring its first prolonged heatwave of this summer as well.
Hot air masses sweeping in from North Africa arrived earlier than usual and have formed a heat dome over Greece and the Balkans, pushing temperatures up to 10 degrees above the seasonal norm, said its National Observatory.
With average highs forecast to reach 38 degrees this week and peak at 44 degrees in some areas. The National Herald, a Greek daily, described conditions as "hotter than hell."
Such aridity, combined with gale-force winds, has put Greece under severe wildfire outbreaks.
Firefighters on Thursday grappled with a blaze on the island of Crete that burned through forests and olive groves, forcing the evacuation of more than 1,000 people.
In addition, a new outbreak of fire near Athens edged dangerously close to residential areas.
Elsewhere, Türkiye recorded 761 wildfires in the 10 days following June 26. The fires flaring in and around the western Izmir Province have claimed the lives of an elderly man and a forest department worker.
Across Europe, at least eight heat-related deaths have been reported in several countries, including Spain and Italy, as the continent baked in the heatwave.
"We are currently under the influence of a strong high-pressure system; this is trapping hot air from northern Africa over the region. And as we can see, it's having a pretty big impact on what we are experiencing now," Clare Nullis, a World Meteorological Organisation spokesperson, said earlier.
She noted that humans will have to learn to live with more frequent and intense heat waves as a result of climate change.
The EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service said in a recent article that "damage to the built environment from extreme weather events is expected to increase tenfold by the end of the century due to climate change alone."
Such widespread climate impacts highlight the importance of building greater resilience, it noted, calling for physical and technological measures such as water recycling, separation of rain and greywater, climate-resilient building design, risk mapping, and early warning systems.
"Adaptation is required across all sectors and governance levels, and actions must address both current climate impacts and steps to protect against future risks," it said. -Xinhua

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Romania faces one of driest agricultural years since 1901
BUCHAREST, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Romania is facing one of its driest agricultural years in over a century, with rainfall far below normal levels, the head of the National Meteorological Administration (ANM) said on Friday. Speaking at the "Climate Change and Economic Impact" conference, ANM Director General Elena Mateescu said the 2023-2024 agricultural year ranks as the fifth driest since records began in 1901, with cumulative rainfall from September 2023 to July 2024 totaling just 534.7 liters per square meter. Mateescu warned that the current 2024-2025 agricultural year is also on track to be among the driest, with only 500.7 liters per square meter recorded so far. "It's very close to the top of the driest agricultural years," she said. Severe soil drought continues to affect wide areas in Romania's west, south, and southeast, threatening crop yields and economic stability. Mateescu pointed to a growing trend, saying dry years have occurred five to six times per decade since 2000. She called for urgent adaptation strategies in agriculture and climate change, alongside emergency planning, to tackle escalating climate risks.


The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
MetMalaysia issues level one hot weather alert for Sabah, Sarawak areas
KUALA LUMPUR: Eight areas, four each in Sabah and Sarawak, have recorded level one (alert) hot weather conditions as of 4pm on Friday (July 25). The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), in a Facebook update on the hot weather status, said that the four areas in Sabah were Kota Marudu, Beluran, Telupid and Sandakan. Meanwhile, the four areas in Sarawak were Sibu, Marudi, Telang Usan and Limbang. According to MetMalaysia, the level one heatwave alert is issued when the daily maximum temperature in an area reaches between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius for at least three consecutive days. For the latest updates on daily hot weather status, the public may visit MetMalaysia's website at - Bernama


The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Hot weather alert issued for Sabah and Sarawak regions
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a level one hot weather alert for eight areas in Sabah and Sarawak as of 4 pm today. The affected regions include Kota Marudu, Beluran, Telupid, and Sandakan in Sabah, along with Sibu, Marudi, Telang Usan, and Limbang in Sarawak. A level one heatwave alert is triggered when an area records daily maximum temperatures between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius for three consecutive days. The public is advised to stay updated on weather conditions via MetMalaysia's official website. For real-time updates, visit