By Kate Abnett
BRUSSELS, Oct 2 (Reuters) – Just over half of Europe experienced “very strong” levels of heat stress at times this summer, exposing people in a record-high share of the continent to the health risks of extreme heat, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Friday.
• The 52% of the continent exposed to very strong heat stress this summer was the highest on record, C3S said
• Heat stress occurs when high temperatures and humidity mean the body cannot cool itself through sweating
• Symptoms include increased heart rate, nausea, dizziness and heat stroke — a potentially life-threatening condition
• Copernicus defines “very strong” heat stress as conditions that feel like a temperature of at least 38 degrees Celsius (100 F)
• Western Europe experienced its hottest summer since records began, recording “very strong” heat stress on 13 days
• Extreme heat poses particular health risks to outdoor workers, the elderly, and people with conditions like cardiovascular diseases and diabetes
• Europe’s rivers recorded their lowest flows this summer in more than three decades, C3S said
• Human-caused climate change has made Europe the world’s fastest-warming continent, according to the World Meteorological Organization
(Reporting by Kate Abnett, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
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