Since June, a heat wave has hit the northern hemisphere, and the temperature is significantly higher than in previous years. European countries have been sounding red high temperature warnings since last week. Flights have been suspended, railway speed has been limited, wildfires have spread, and droughts have intensified. . This summer's high temperature and heat wave is undoubtedly the "danger" of the global climate problem. Whether it can be turned into an "opportunity" to promote global governance, but for the time being, there is no definite answer. In the past, European countries were often the first to speak out against global climate change, but now, Europe is pulling itself between the energy crisis and sustainable development.

Real-time data from the UK Met Office showed that at 12:50 local time on July 19, the temperature measured at London Heathrow Airport was 40 degrees Celsius. This is the first time the temperature has exceeded 40 degrees Celsius since records began in the UK, confirming the highest level of abnormally high temperature red warning issued by the Met Office on the 15th. Other countries in Europe have not resisted the heat wave, especially the southern region. On July 17, 15 provinces in western France entered a state of "red alert"; from July 10, the highest temperature in Spain was 39 between degrees Celsius and 45 degrees Celsius.

The power of the Asian heatwave was already evident last month. On June 28, the temperature in parts of New Delhi, India soared to 49.2 degrees Celsius. Parts of Japan experienced their "hottest June day" on record on June 25, the first time Japan experienced a high temperature of 40 degrees Celsius in June. Since July 16, China has entered the hottest "dog days" of the year, but since June, 29 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) across the country have issued a total of 1,869 high-temperature red warnings with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius , 857 articles were released in one day on July 10.

Under the continuous extreme high temperature weather, natural disasters such as drought and wildfires are accompanied. The European Commissioner for Inter-Agency Relations, Marlos Sefkovic, said on July 7 that Europe's current drought could be "the worst ever". Higher temperatures and lower humidity are fueling "fires" in regions such as Europe. According to a report by Portuguese TV on July 15, in the past seven months, Portugal has accumulated more than 30,000 hectares of fires, more than the whole year of 2021. Most of the fires occurred in the past month. Forest fires have also occurred in countries such as France, Spain, Croatia and Greece. The U.S. Fire Protection Center reported six new wildfires on July 18 alone.

The runway at Luton Airport, Britain's busiest airport, began to melt in the heat and had to announce the suspension of all flights on July 18, only to reopen after maintenance work was completed that night. According to the BBC, speed limits have been imposed on most of the British rail network due to the risk of the tracks deforming and bending in the heat.

Extreme weather conditions, including extreme heat, are certainly not the first to appear. As far as high temperature is concerned, high temperature heat waves in the northern hemisphere have occurred frequently in recent years, but this year's heat waves are more ferocious than in previous years. The National Climate Center of China explained on July 14: "Global warming is the climate background for the frequent occurrence of high temperature and heat waves in the northern hemisphere, and the abnormal atmospheric circulation is the direct cause of the frequent occurrence of high temperature and heat waves in many places around the world since June." This interpretation The process of forming the heat wave is expounded in detail: Since June this year, over the subtropical region of the northern hemisphere, the subtropical high pressure in the western Pacific, the Atlantic high pressure and the Iranian high have all strengthened in stages, thus forming a large-scale global warm high pressure belt. Under the control of the warm high-pressure zone, the prevailing downdraft is conducive to the warming of the ground. In addition, under the action of the large-scale high-pressure zone, the air is relatively dry, and it is not easy to form clouds, which also makes it easier for solar radiation to reach the ground, resulting in frequent high temperature occurrences , and the intensity is strong, resulting in sustained high temperature and heat wave events in many parts of the northern hemisphere.

This technical interpretation may not be easy for ordinary people to understand, but as mentioned in the interpretation, global warming is the root cause of frequent extreme weather.

According to the sixth assessment report released by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in the past 50 years, global warming has occurred at an unprecedented rate since the past 2,000 years, and the instability of the climate system has intensified. United Nations Secretary-General Guterres called it "Red Alert for All Humanity". Researchers have also repeatedly emphasized the significant impact of climate change on hot weather. For example, Nikos Christidis, a climate attribution scientist at the UK Met Office, said recently: "Climate change has affected the likelihood of extreme temperatures in the UK. In other words, 40C weather in the UK is 10 times more likely than in a natural climate unaffected by humans."

According to climatologist Frederic Otto, “Until greenhouse gas emissions stop, heatwave weather conditions will continue to worsen. The longer it takes for the world to reach 'zero emissions', the hotter heatwaves will get. , the more dangerous, the more common and the more persistent.” Frederick Otto is Senior Lecturer in Climate Science at the Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, and Professor of the Global Climate Science Program at Oxford University, where her research focuses on answering extreme Whether and to what extent weather conditions are altered by external climate drivers. A recognized expert in attribution research, her research shows that human-induced climate change is a major contributor to extreme climate events such as heatwaves, droughts and floods, "the only way to prevent heat records from being broken again. , is to stop burning fossil fuels as soon as possible.”

When it comes to fossil fuels, it is easy to think of the European and even global energy crisis triggered by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which is making it harder for some European countries, including Germany, to give up or return to fossil fuels. This summer's heat wave has led to a sharp increase in the demand for electricity. In addition to the urgent high temperature weather, many countries have begun to consider storing energy for the cold winter that will enter in more than three months. Obviously, expanding the energy stock will inevitably lead to more greenhouse gas emissions. On one side is energy security, and on the other side is climate change. What is worrying is that European countries, which were often "charged ahead" on environmental issues, are now making their own choices "low-key" with actions.

Not just Europe. Since June 27, the Japanese government has continued to issue a "power supply shortage alert", urging businesses, households and government departments within the power supply range of Tokyo Electric Power Company to reduce electricity consumption, use air conditioners "appropriately", and turn off unnecessary lights to save energy. Electricity and energy. In early July, several New York neighborhoods were without power for the first time ever, and city officials urged citizens to conserve electricity and other energy sources.

Of even greater concern are the choices some countries have made on energy issues that run counter to their climate commitments. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, many European countries have been "forced" to choose other "open source" methods in order to try to get rid of their dependence on Russian energy. Some G7 countries, including Italy and Germany, are reopening or planning to reopen some of their derelict coal-fired power plants, as if returning to the age of fossil fuels. But it certainly runs counter to the climate commitments these countries have made - they have gone back in time to combat extreme heat or extreme cold in the midst of global warming. If this situation is allowed to develop, the high temperature and heat that the northern hemisphere is currently experiencing is likely to be the beginning of a new round of vicious circles. This can also be regarded as a slap in the face. Can it be an opportunity to wake people up and make countries more active in responding to climate change and exploring sustainable development?

For a long time, climate change has indeed been regarded as a global issue that requires all countries to assume national responsibility and strengthen international cooperation. But it is undeniable that, even if they are directly suffering from extreme weather, many individuals still ignore their relationship with climate change. According to reports, as of July 17, more than 1,000 people in Portugal and Spain have died in this year's "silent killer" heatwave of nature. Even though the weather has become so extreme, and although many people admit that the earth's climate is in crisis, very few people have a real crisis mentality and are not aware that environmental issues, climate issues are actually changing their lives.

On July 19, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned delegates from 40 countries at a climate dialogue: "We have a choice - collective action or collective suicide, it's up to us." He Said that in the face of climate disaster, no country is immune.