World must learn to live with heat waves, UN says on hottest 1 July in Belgium

The world must learn to live with heat waves, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said on Tuesday. In Belgium, temperatures rose to 34.7 degrees in Uccle on Tuesday afternoon, a new record for 1 July.

Much of Europe is currently suffering from a heat wave. In Belgium, temperatures rose to 34.7 degrees in Uccle on Tuesday afternoon, which is a new record for the day. The previous record dates from 2015, when the temperatures hit 34.5 degrees on 1 July.

In France, the code red for heat, which applies to 16 departments on Tuesday, including the Paris region, has been extended to Wednesday. In Spain, last June was the hottest in the country's history, with an average temperature of 23.6 degrees.

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“Global warming is caused by humans, and as a result, extreme heat is becoming more common,” said Clare Nullis, spokesperson for the WMO, an agency of the United Nations. “We have to learn to live with this.”

In the northern hemisphere, July is traditionally the hottest month of the year. However, according to Nullis, heat waves this early in the summer are exceptional.

One of the factors playing an important role is the exceptionally high temperature of the Mediterranean Sea. On Sunday, an average of 26.01 degrees Celsius was measured there, 3 degrees higher than the average for the period 1991-2020. In some places, such as the French and Spanish coasts, the temperature is 4 degrees higher.

^{Brussels Park © PHOTO BELGIAN FREELANCE}

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