A number of countries in Southern and Western Europe have seen a sharp rise in temperatures to nearly 40 degrees, leading to widespread warnings, transportation disruptions, and strain on infrastructure and ecosystems, according to Reuters.
Spain, France, and Italy have been the hardest-hit countries due to the heat wave in Europe, where air temperatures are approaching 40 degrees. The extreme weather conditions have led to the issuance of elevated danger alerts, disruptions to transportation—particularly rail service—and increased strain on infrastructure and emergency services.
“The heat surge on June 21—the day of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and typically the start of the three hottest months of the year—has raised concerns about the early and prolonged onset of extreme conditions,” the report states.
In Spain, the AEMET weather service issued red and orange warnings, forecasting temperatures of 39–40 degrees across most of the Iberian Peninsula and Mallorca. The heat is expected to last at least until midweek.
In France, due to overheating of the infrastructure, the railway operator SNCF canceled 71 intercity trains. A total of 3,500 employees have been deployed for monitoring and emergency response, with an additional 2,000 staff members on standby.
“The spike in temperatures is caused by a mass of hot air moving northward from the Sahara, intensified by a strong anticyclonic system known as the ‘African anticyclone.’ Meteorologists note that this system creates a so-called ‘heat dome,’ which traps hot air over Western and Central Europe and allows temperatures to rise day after day,” the agency’s report states.
In Germany, where temperatures reached 38 degrees, thunderstorms and power outages were reported during mass events in Berlin.
Meanwhile, in Belgium, wildlife centers are reporting an overload of injured animals, mainly young birds, with about 150 having been brought in over the past few days.
The total budget of technical assistance projects to be implemented in Ukraine within the framework of the International Climate Initiative will amount to EUR 44.5 million, including both new projects and those planned to be launched before the war or whose work was temporarily suspended with the outbreak of hostilities.
According to the website of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine on Tuesday, such initiatives were discussed in Berlin during the meeting of the Ukrainian delegation headed by Deputy Minister Alexander Krasnolutsky with representatives of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection of Germany, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection of Germany, the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Secretariat of the German Institute for International Cooperation.
German projects, in particular, will cover support for Ukraine in implementing the Paris Agreement and adaptation to the consequences of climate change in the Black Sea region, establishing an emissions trading system, forming a low emission policy, preserving forests in the Carpathians, and increasing Ukraine’s ability to overcome the consequences of war and integrate into the EU. In addition, they talked about Ukraine’s accession to the climate club, which is now being formed by the European Union.
In addition, the German government is ready to help Ukraine with the construction of rehabilitation centers for animals affected by war, which are envisaged in the plan for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.
According to Krasnolutsky, Ukraine is striving to apply the best practices that exist today in Europe for its reconstruction and development.
Climate change in Spain is threatening a key ingredient in the diet of pigs, acorns from oak forests, which could affect the production of premium Iberico Beyota jamón in the country.
Iberico Beyota jamón is a premium Spanish jamón that can sell for more than 100 euros per kilogram. It is made from black-legged pigs that must spend their last month of life eating acorns in oak forests.
In recent years, however, due to unusually hot and dry summers, fewer acorns have grown on the oaks. This fact, as well as a drop in the market value of the product, has led to a 20% reduction in jamón production in the autonomous region of Extremadura.
The summer of 2022 was the hottest in Spain’s history and also the third driest. In 50 years, rainfall in Extremadura decreased by 35%. That said, even if next summer isn’t as hot, it won’t guarantee plenty of acorns in the future.
“I expect that this year, after last summer’s drought and winter with little rain, could be the worst in the 40 years I’ve been working here,” said Francisco Esparrago, president of jam producer Señorio de Montanera.
Jamon producers could import acorns, but Esparrago does not approve of the idea. Imported acorns could bring new diseases, he said.
Energy Minister of Ukraine Herman Halushchenko and U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm have signed a joint statement on strategic dialogue in the field of energy and climate, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“A strategic dialogue in the field of energy and climate has been initiated between Ukraine and the United States. The corresponding joint statement was signed by Ukraine’s Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko and U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
