European countries, including Austria, France, Germany, Poland, and Switzerland, find themselves sweltering under unprecedented September heatwaves, sounding the alarm on climate change’s relentless march.
This extraordinary weather phenomenon comes as experts warn that 2023 could become the hottest year ever recorded due to the accelerating impacts of global warming.
Austria, France, Germany, Poland, and Switzerland are all grappling with their hottest-ever September, shattering temperature records. These startling conditions follow a recent report by the EU Climate Monitor, which confirmed the highest-ever global summer temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere.
France, in particular, is reeling with an average September temperature projected at 21.5 degrees Celsius (70.7 degrees Fahrenheit), a staggering 3.5 to 3.6 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 reference period. This disturbing trend of soaring temperatures has persisted for nearly two years in the country.
Germany also recorded its hottest September on record, with temperatures soaring nearly 4 degrees Celsius above the 1961-1990 baseline, according to the German weather office DWD.
Poland’s weather institute echoed these concerns, reporting September temperatures 3.6 degrees Celsius above the long-term average, marking a century-high record.
The Alpine nations of Austria and Switzerland joined the record-breaking trend, with both countries registering unprecedented average September temperatures. This development raises further concerns following a recent study revealing that Swiss glaciers have lost a staggering 10 percent of their volume in just two years due to extreme warming.
The Iberian Peninsula is not immune to this heatwave, as Spain and Portugal’s national weather institutes have issued warnings of abnormal temperatures, with southern Spain expecting mercury levels to exceed 35 degrees Celsius.
Climate scientists unequivocally attribute these soaring temperatures to human-induced climate change, as global temperatures now hover around 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The looming El Niño weather phenomenon, with its warming effects on the southern Pacific and beyond, is poised to exacerbate this situation.
The consequences of these climate disruptions are evident in the form of more frequent and intense extreme weather events, including heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and storms, with dire implications for lives and property.
World leaders are set to gather in Dubai starting on 30 November for key UN talks aimed at curbing the worst effects of climate change, including the ambitious goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Central to these discussions will be strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, transition away from fossil fuels, enhance climate finance, and expand renewable energy sources.
Francois Gemenne, lead author of a UN climate report, emphasized that until carbon neutrality becomes a reality, heat records will continue to crumble with increasing regularity, underscoring the urgent need for a global response to address climate change’s relentless march.
