Heat Wave in the Northern Hemisphere; 'Red Alert' Declared in Southern and Eastern Europe

Wide areas of southern and eastern Europe were placed under a 'red alert' for a heat wave on Tuesday. The European Union's Emergency Response Coordination Centre issued a 'red alert' for high temperatures in most regions of Italy, northeastern Spain, Croatia, Serbia, southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. According to Reuters, the World Meteorological Organization also warned of an increased risk of mortality due to high temperatures in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Temperatures on the island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean may reach over 47 degrees Celsius, and forecasts suggest that temperatures in several cities in Italy may reach 40 degrees or even higher. In Italy, tourists have tried to cool off, including by splashing water from fountains in Rome onto themselves. Some were forced to wait outside Rome's central train station for over an hour in the heat due to a shortage of taxis in the city. With rising temperatures in Europe during the peak summer tourist season, the World Meteorological Organization announced that the heat wave is intensifying in the Northern Hemisphere. Last year alone, 61,000 people died in Europe due to the heat wave. This summer's heat wave has seen temperatures in California's 'Death Valley' reach 53 degrees and over 52 degrees in northwest China. The heat wave coincides with wildfires from Greece to the Swiss Alps and deadly floods in India and South Korea. John Kerry, the U.S. Special Envoy for Climate, expressed hope during a meeting with Chinese officials in Beijing that climate cooperation could redefine the troubled relations between the two countries. Scientists have long warned that greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from burning fossil fuels, are causing climate change and making heat waves more frequent, severe, and deadly. They say that governments must take more serious actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Wildfires continue in Canada; air quality in several U.S. cities is 'dangerous.' A new study shows that over half of the world's lakes are 'drying up.' John Kerry emphasized the need for 'real progress' in U.S.-China climate talks.