Lives and Infrastructure in Danger as Britain Braces For Hottest Day on Record

Authorities in Britain have placed most of the cities under a “red” warning for heat for the first time in history, with the mercury hovering around 100 degrees (37.5 degrees Celsius) across London, reports the New York Times. The authorities are also urging people to avoid exercise, travel or even going outside if possible.

The extreme heat reportedly caused a ‘defect’ in the runway of London’s Luton Airport, forcing some flights to divert to other airports. Cast-iron chains and pedestals of the Hammersmith Bridge on the Thames in London were wrapped in reflective foil to shield them from the sun as the previous heat waves had caused cracks in the iron to widen, raising fears that the 19th-century bridge could collapse, a New York Times report said.

The Royal Air Force also had to halt flights on one of its largest base as a preventive measure because tar on the runway may have melted, a spokesperson told the NYT.

Also Read: Europe Scorched: Climate Change Fingerprints on Ever ‘Hotter, Longer, More Frequent’ Heatwaves

‘Wildfires’

The extreme heat in the continent is leading to dangerous wildfires. Two enormous wildfires had torn through 55 square miles of dry pine forest in southwestern France over the past week, forcing about 16,000 people to evacuate, reported the NYT.

“It never stops. In 30 years of firefighting I have never seen a fire like this,” David Brunner, one of 1,500 firefighters battling the blaze in France, told The Guardian.

Thousands of hectares of land have been destroyed in France, Greece, Portugal and Spain due to extreme wildfires.

Why is this heat unbearable for UK?

While up to 40 degrees Celsius might not be a big deal for the United States and other countries, for Britain, a nation known for its frequent showers and mild weather conditions, this amount of heat is enough to bring the country to a halt.

Many countries see this level of heat normally as they are more accustomed to it with people’s bodies being more acclimated to bear those conditions.

Whereas in Britain, where the houses were mainly built to retain warmth, people are unprepared for extreme weather, not just heat but of all kinds.

‘Climate Change Kills’

In Spain and Portugal, more than 1,000 have lost their lives due to the brutal heatwave.

Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, during a visit to the south-western region of Extremadura on Monday, said climate change ‘kills’ and ‘destroys’ everything.

“I want to make something very clear, Climate change kills: it kills people, as we’ve seen; it also kills our ecosystem, our biodiversity, and it also destroys the things we as a society hold dear – our houses, our businesses, our livestock,” said the Spain Prime Minister.

‘Absolutely Unprecedented’

According to a report by NBC, there is a 50% chance the UK could record its hottest temperature to date, currently 101.6 Fahrenheit registered in July 2019.

The chief executive of the Met Office, Penny Endersby, said that this heat is absolutely unprecedented.

“The extreme heat we are forecasting right now is absolutely unprecedented. Here in the U.K., we are used to treating a hot spell as a chance to go and play in the sun — this is not that sort of weather. Our lifestyles and infrastructure are not adapted to what is coming,” said the Met chief.

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