Germany floods and UK extreme heat show no country is safe from the climate crisis

A run of wild weather events and deadly temperatures reignite the need for urgent climate action, writes Daisy Dunne

At least 180 have died in unprecedented floods in Germany, Belgium and other parts of western Europe (dpa via AP)

In another stark sign of the times, the UK’s Met Office issued its first ever extreme heat warning on Monday. The warning said that temperatures could reach 33C in some parts of the country this week and added that “adverse health effects are likely to be experienced by those vulnerable to extreme heat”.

The warning comes just two days after Northern Ireland logged its hottest temperature on record. Ballywatticock in County Down reached 31.2C on Saturday afternoon, according to the Met Office.

“We’re likely to see increased hospital admissions over the next few days, due to heat stress – a build up of body heat as conditions prevent people from cooling down, even at night – and other heat-related health issues,” says Chloe Brimicombe, a University of Reading PhD student researching heatwaves. “Vulnerable people do die.”

North America has also seen unprecedented summer heat. A recent analysis by an international team of scientists found that the record heat in the US and Canada in June was made 150 times more likely by the climate crisis. The hot and dry conditions have heightened the risks posed by wildfires across several western US states.

Meanwhile, as many countries are battling extreme heat, others are reeling from unprecedented flooding. At least 180 people have died in devastating floods in Germany, Belgium and other western European nations. Dozens have also died in torrential downpours in Mumbai in recent days.

A wealth of scientific research finds that the climate crisis is making such extreme weather events more likely and more severe.

The world has warmed by about 1.2C since the start of the fossil fuel era. This warming is tipping the balance in favour of more extreme and frequent heatwaves, scientists say.

No formal assessment of the role of the climate crisis in Germany’s flooding has yet been carried out. However, previous research has found that intense rainfall in Germany, Switzerland and Austria has increased alongside increases in northern hemisphere temperatures.

The spate of floods and heatwaves has prompted many experts to call for governments to do more to prepare for worsening extreme weather.

Last month, the UK’s official advisers warned that the country is now less prepared to tackle worsening climate impacts than it was five years ago. This is a result of government inaction in the face of rapidly rising climate risks, the Climate Change Committee said.

The UN’s secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, has also warned that countries are not doing enough to adapt to worsening extreme weather events. At a world summit held in January, he called for rich nations to meet promises to provide the funds to help poorer nations deal with more volatile weather events.

“We are already witnessing unprecedented climate extremes and volatility, affecting lives and livelihoods on all continents,” he said. “Adaptation cannot be the neglected half of the climate equation.”