Extreme heat hits Balkans and Mediterranean

By Sharon Kimathi, Energy and ESG Editor, Reuters Digital

Hello!

Today’s newsletter focuses on the extreme weather around the world, from abnormal heat waves hitting parts of Europe, to the years’ worth of rainfall that hit a small town in China and the torrential rain in Canada which will feature in our main Talking Points story.

The Balkans, along with much of Europe, continued to swelter in a prolonged heat wave this week, triggering forest fires and drying up a Serbian lake for the first time, as a meteorologist warned such heat waves could become more regular.

“At the moment, we are amid an extreme weather event, a heat wave characterized by its length and intensity,” Vladimir Djurdjevic, a Belgrade-based meteorologist, told Reuters, adding climate change could make such super-hot summers more frequent events.

Temperatures sizzled across Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia, expecting temperatures of around 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit).

Ukraine experienced an abnormal heat wave over the last fortnight which will begin to ease later this week, making way for rain in most of the country, the state weather forecaster said. Record high temperatures have had a negative impact on Ukraine’s grain and oilseed crops and led to widespread electricity cuts.

Also on my radar today:

People cool themself under a water sprinkler on a hot summer day, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in central Kyiv, Ukraine. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

Spain will suffer its first heat wave of the summer, the meteorology service AEMET said, as the government kicked off a heat risk awareness campaign for people working mostly outside.

After the Iberian Peninsula saw cooler than usual weather so far this summer, AEMET expects temperatures to exceed 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) in most of the country, reaching as much as 42-44 C in the southern Guadalquivir Valley. The peak will be on Friday, when most areas will warm up to 40 C.

AEMET has issued a heat wave warning for a large part of Spain, including the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean.

The National Institute for Safety and Health at Work launched the campaign “With sun it’s time for caution” to address the risks such as heat stroke and solar radiation.

AEMET’s orange-level severe heat alert in parts of the country will also trigger a ban on some outdoor working in the afternoon under a government decree approved last year to cope with more and more frequent heat waves as a result of fossil fuel-driven climate change.

The measure affects outdoors working such as street cleaning and agriculture.

Greece shut the Acropolis, its most visited ancient site, as the country baked in yet another heat wave that sent temperatures up to 38 degrees Celsius (100.4°F).

The Acropolis, on a rocky hill overlooking Athens, draws hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. Hellenic Red Cross crews handed out bottles of water to tourists waiting to enter the Acropolis site before it closed.

“We are experiencing an intense climate change… and that’s why the state has to adapt, bearing in mind always the protection of its people and in particular of its workers,” said Labour Minister Niki Kerameus.

The Greek meteorological service has forecast that extreme heat conditions will continue through the weekend, prompting authorities to restrict outdoor work during peak heat hours (0900 GMT to 1400 GMT) this week.

Schools and tourist sites have been shut, outdoor work hours curtailed, and six tourists died in June during a period of prolonged heat, highlighting the dangers of exposure as the temperature hovers near or above 40°C (104°F).

Aerial view of buildings submerged in floodwaters after heavy rains hit towns in Hunan provice, China. cnsphoto via REUTERS

 Aaron Tartakovsky, CEO and co-founder of U.S.-based water tech firm Epic Cleantec, shares his thoughts on the impact of severe weather events on water systems:

“Much of our nation’s water and wastewater systems were built 30-100 years ago and are in dire need of repair and upgrades.

“These aging systems are struggling to keep up with population growth and increasingly severe weather that can prolong droughts and cause more intense floods.

“Just last month, Atlanta faced a state of emergency when a main water break left many residents with boil-water advisories.

“Over the past year, cities from Phoenix to the Greater Tampa Bay area have placed moratoriums on new developments because the regional water supply can’t keep up.

“Traditionally, buildings connect to the city’s sewer system and send all their ‘wastewater’ into the municipal network. But in reality, there is no waste in water — only wasted water.

“Cities like San Francisco have pioneered a new approach: decentralized onsite water systems.

“These systems recycle up to 95% of a building’s wastewater using advanced treatment technologies, and reuse that highly purified water within the building for non-drinking purposes like irrigation, cooling, toilet flushing, and laundry.

“As cities and countries worldwide grapple with water scarcity and other challenges, onsite water reuse offers a modern, circular, and sustainable solution that benefits all.”

The cultivation of crops like rice in semi-arid states has led to rampant extraction of groundwater through borewells and steep falls in water tables, according to government and industry officials.

“The elephant in the room is agriculture,” said Lakhani of Vishvaraj. “We still use flood irrigation, we are not on drip or sprinkler irrigation. If we save just 10% of water used in agriculture, it will take care of the water problems of all the Indian cities.”

Woman looks at art in “Impressionists instead of heat”, offering free admission to State Pushkin Museum in the hottest daytime hours, Moscow, Russia. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

Art lovers drift slowly through the exhibition halls of the Pushkin Museum, pausing to peer at vibrant works by Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh.

The Muscovites are happy to see the art, but they also came for a more pressing, physical reason: to cool off. “When you come in here, it’s just like an oasis,” said one museum-goer, Anna. “Such a relief.”

Blistering temperatures have gripped the Russian capital for weeks, sending residents searching for air conditioners and breaking 100-year-old heat records.

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