Now Reading: Europe faces fifth heatwave as drought, fires grip continent
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Europe faces fifth heatwave as drought, fires grip continent
A new heatwave is sweeping Europe, with extreme heat warnings issued across Britain and France on Monday and forecasts of temperatures around 35C. Nearly 120 million Europeans lived in regions where July…
The Story in Brief
A new heatwave is sweeping Europe, with extreme heat warnings issued across Britain and France on Monday and forecasts of temperatures around 35C. Nearly 120 million Europeans lived in regions where July 2026 was the hottest ever recorded, according to an AFP analysis. At least 12,000 excess deaths were recorded across nine countries during a June heatwave.
Britain and France are suffering severe drought, with nearly 70% of French territory under water-use restrictions. Greece reported its second fire near Athens, while Spain evacuated some 800 people from a blaze. The Rhine risks becoming unnavigable and Poland's Vistula river matched a record low, AFP reports.
The Indian Opinion
Europe's summer is being reported as a series of isolated shocks, but the real story is the compounding strain on ageing infrastructure built for a cooler climate. The claim that 'future summers will generally be hotter' is not speculation, it is the working assumption of national weather agencies. The test to watch is the Danube: if Hungary or Romania must shut nuclear plants for lack of cooling water, adaptation has failed. Until then, each heatwave is a warning, not a headline.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
