Opinion: Europe's summer of heat
Europe is experiencing a severe heat wave that has led to record-breaking temperatures and significant excess deaths. The article discusses the environmental impact of climate change on urban infrastructure and the strain on public services like funeral homes.
Why it matters
The increasing frequency of extreme heat events poses a major public health and infrastructure challenge for modern cities.
All 27 cities Italy's health ministry monitors, including Rome, Naples, Venice, and Bologna, are on red alert this week. People have been advised to avoid sunlight, sweet carbonated drinks, coffee and alcohol.
Imagine trying to avoid sunlight, fizz, wine, and espresso in Italy.
The World Meteorological Organization says this was the hottest June ever recorded in western Europe. And now the heat has returned.
Great cities, like London, Paris, Madrid, Florence and Rome, that draw tourists to museums, markets, theaters, and restaurants, are considered especially open and exposed. Those beautiful cities are sculpted out of brick and stone, and connected by monumental asphalt avenues which absorb the heat, and hold onto it at night.
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