(Stockholm) Climate change increased the recent heat wave that fell on northern Europe, putting on test systems, ecosystems and breeders of Rennes Samis in a poorly equipped region to cope with such events, by such events, said the World Weather award (WWA).
Finland, Norway and Sweden experienced an exceptionally hot weather for two weeks in July, with temperatures exceeding 30 ° C, Finland registering 22 consecutive days of temperatures above 30 ° C.
The persistent heat led to many faintings during outdoor events, saturated and overheated hospitals, caused forest fires, increased drowning or pushed the reindeer to seek shade in cities, according to the report of around twenty European researchers.
“The climate change has made the heat wave about 2 ° C warmer and at least 10 times more likely,” they said.
The heat wave has been amplified by the combustion of fossil fuels, which releases carbon contributing to global warming.
“Climate change fundamentally transforms the world in which we live,” said Clair Barnes, researcher at the Center for Environmental Policy at the Imperial College in London, in a press release. “Country countries like Norway, Sweden and Finland are now experiencing unknown heat levels,” she added.
The conclusions of the report fall when temperatures should once again be around 30 ° C in certain parts of the region on Thursday.
The Nordic region is known for its fresher climate, and is normally not exposed to high temperatures.
“Our infrastructure has not been built to withstand these extreme temperatures, and our aging population is increasingly vulnerable in the face of dangerous heat,” alerted Maja Vahlberg, a climate consultant for the Swedish Red Cross, quoted in the report.
Buildings in the region are often well isolated, but poorly ventilated, she explained during a press briefing.
The researchers also noted that these warmer temperatures threaten the means of subsistence of the Samis reindeer.
Rennes normally migrate to higher altitudes in summer, but these areas are no longer real havils of freshness, exposing animals to heat and making the search for food and difficult water.
The warmer winters also lead to more precipitation in the form of rain rather than snow, and the successive cycles of frost and thaw form layers of ice which prevent reindeer from reaching the lichen to feed.
The Arctic Region heats up two to four times faster than other regions of the planet, according to several studies.
