The UN climate chief has described the extreme heatwave sweeping parts of western Europe as 'a brutal reminder of the spiralling impacts of the climate crisis', after France and the UK broke temperature records for May on consecutive days. Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said the 'main culprit' was humanity's burning of coal, oil and gas.
'The science is clear that human-induced climate change is making these heatwaves more frequent and extreme,' Stiell said, as France, Spain and the UK experienced temperatures usually associated with July or August. He called for nations to 'kick the fossil fuel addiction much faster'.
In the UK, a temperature of 35.1C was recorded at Kew Gardens in London on Tuesday, breaking the 34.8C record set a day earlier, according to the Met Office. France also recorded its hottest May day on Tuesday, with a national heat index of 24.8C. Météo-France attributed the heat to a 'heat dome' producing temperatures up to 13C higher than usual.
Seventeen French departments, including Paris, were placed on orange high temperature alerts, while Spain issued an orange alert for the Basque Country amid forecasts of up to 40C. Scientists warned that such extreme events are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change.
At least seven deaths in France and four drownings in England have been linked to the heat. In India, authorities reported deaths from heatstroke as temperatures exceeded 43C.
