The Temperatures in France hit a record high. In Gallargues-le Monteux the temperature skyrocketed to a 45.9C on Friday. And the weather service said that the temperatures were the same as that of the California’s Death Valley.
It is no surprise that there are changes in the climate due to Global warming. And Europe is an example of it. It is hit with a record heatwave. France had a red warning in the central band of the country. But now, it lifted the warning.
There were several wildfires in Gard. And many firefighters got hurt tackling the fire but they were not seriously injured. Fire also closed much sections of the motorway. There was also an incident of a cyclist collapsing from the heat in Vancluse.
The picture of Europe changed when three people died due to heat wave in Italy. And there was much demand of Air conditioning because of the heat. That led to power cuts in Milan. In Spain the temperature hit a high of 43C on 29th June, and it claimed 2 lives.
Montpellier Zoo suffered as a result of the heatwave. It wasn’t the animals about who the government got worried but the visitors. Students came to visit the zoo from Arles, and three of them dropped from exhaustion. But the officials of the zoo are not taking any risks. And they have fire trucks around, for cases of emergency. Plus, they soak the pathways with water.
The worst heatwave that hit France was in the year 2003. Nearly 15,000 people died. But this time France is prepared. The Health Minister, Agnes Buzyn said while visiting the Caremeau hospital in Nimes- “Unfortunately, it’s impossible to guarantee that no one will die. But we’ve put everything in place to ensure it’s the lowest number possible. Compared with 2003, we’re extremely well prepared-especially with respect to the elderly, especially those isolated at home.”
We hope the preparations help, and everybody stays safe. The world meteorological organisation said last week that 2019 was one of the hottest years globally, and 2015 to 2019 would then be the hottest five year period on record. It said the European heatwave was absolutely consistent with extremes linked to the impact of Greenhouse gas emissions.
