Heat domes and extreme temperatures: “We are in a world in which no two years have the same weather patterns”

A problem that not only affects Europe, with the expert pointing out that ocean warming is altering climate patterns on a global scale and warns that similar phenomena are already affecting the Americas.

“In the month of March, an intense heat dome affected the southwestern United States with temperatures between 11 and 17 °C above average in California, Nevada and Arizona, and exceeding 44 °C in several places,” recalls Quino. “For the upcoming summer, forecasts point to exceeding historical averages in almost the entire United States, further driven by the development of the El Niño phenomenon.”

Meanwhile, Bohl warns that Peru is already experiencing unusually high temperatures for this time of year, possibly linked to the El Niño phenomenon and climate change.

“We are in a changing world, a world in which no two years have the same weather patterns,” he says. An example of this is that “the occurrence of heat domes like this one has almost tripled since 1950 due to climate change driven by human activities,” according to Quino.

Faced with this new reality, not only Europe but also the rest of the world will have to take measures both to slow climate change and to deal with more unpredictable and extreme weather.

In the short term, Javier Quino recommends prioritizing health protection actions such as constant hydration, avoiding sun exposure between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., wearing light clothing and especially monitoring older adults, children and people with cardiovascular diseases.

In addition, it points out that governments must activate early warning systems, expand access to drinking water and restrict outdoor physical work during the most critical hours.

Ricardo Bohl highlights that many European cities are not prepared for extreme temperatures. An example of this is the United Kingdom, famous for its cloudy climate, where homes were designed to conserve heat and do not have cooling systems, while metro systems lack air conditioning and become true thermal traps during these heat waves.

That is why he warns that in the medium term There is a growing need for cities to adapt to the new climate scenario by redesigning cities to increase green areas with more trees, boulevards and parks.as well as other measures to reduce urban temperatures such as water sources.

“We cannot continue living as if the climate is not changing,” says Bohl. “We have to reforest the cities and take care of our forests.”

In the long term, the solutions involve reducing greenhouse gas emissions and accelerating the energy transition. At this point Quino insists with greater emphasis on renewable energies, as well as additional measures such as electrifying transportation and improving the energy efficiency of buildings and cities.

“Mitigation actions must be promoted, such as the transition to renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” he says. Only in this way can we face this new, and hotter, world in which we find ourselves.