Europe is currently experiencing extreme heat waves with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in many areas. Some regions in Spain and Portugal have even surpassed the heat of the Sahara Desert.
Authorities are advising people to remain indoors, schools are shutting down, wildfires are spreading, and nuclear plants are scaling back production due to rivers being too warm to effectively cool them. The World Health Organization reports that over 1,300 deaths in Europe have been linked to the heat since June 21st.
Traditionally, European cities, homes, and public spaces were designed under the assumption that summers would be warm but tolerable. However, this assumption is now being challenged by the changing climate.
Ajit Niranjan, the environmental correspondent for The Guardian in Europe, discusses the implications of an entire continent realizing it was developed for a climate that no longer exists.
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