Reacción a "The summer of 2026 was the warmest on record in Western Europe"

The exceptional summer of 2026 in Europe, characterised by unprecedented heat stress and very low river flows, had a clearly felt impact on European society due to its effects on public health in the form of increased mortality and hospital admissions, by a historic drought that severely disrupted river transport flows, restricting commercial navigation on key rivers in Western Europe; by falls in crop yields, mainly due to water shortages; and by contributing to the outbreak of mega-fires. Similarly, some nuclear power stations saw their cooling capacity restricted by low river levels, which also coincided with peaks in electricity demand due to the use of air conditioning. The Copernicus reports and corresponding data are invaluable resources that enable the monitoring of the extreme weather conditions causing these societal disruptions.
 
It is well known that there has been a general increase in the likelihood of certain climate extremes, such as heatwaves, heavy rainfall, etc., associated with climate change resulting from rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, caused primarily by the extensive use of fossil fuels. Furthermore, specific studies (such as those carried out by the World Weather Attribution initiative) have made it possible to quantitatively attribute the occurrence and increased intensity of some of these specific extreme events to anthropogenic climate change – notably, some of the most intense heatwaves that affected Europe this summer.
 
As the climate system continues to warm, there will be an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as those highlighted in the Copernicus report, which once again underscore the importance of limiting greenhouse gas emissions and building greater resilience to these climate risks that are affecting – and will increasingly affect – our societies. As we have seen this summer, climate extremes tend to occur in combination (high temperatures and droughts) and have increasingly interconnected impacts across different sectors.