Since records have been kept, the year we are about to end has been the warmest in Spain. Added to this is a severe meteorological drought and the numerous and powerful wildfires that we record in summer. Adapting our society to these extreme events as a consequence of climate change should be a top priority.
A study published in Science Advances estimates that economic losses due to heatwaves caused by climate change between 1992 and 2013 exceeded $5 trillion. Moreover, lower-income countries were more affected than richer regions.
Research estimates that the rise in global average temperatures could approach 2 ˚C by 2050. The study, published in Communications Earth and Environment, estimates that by 2100 many people living in tropical regions will be exposed to dangerously high levels of heat on most days of the year. In addition, deadly heatwaves, which are currently rare in mid-latitudes, could occur every year in these areas.
Apart from the disastrous impact of these temperatures on the marine ecosystem, we must ask ourselves whether this will mean an autumn of heavy rainfall and flooding.