Paris — Intense heatwaves like the one which fueled Greece’s deadly wildfires are set to become increasingly frequent around the world due to climate change, experts warn. Record high temperatures have been registered across the Northern Hemisphere in recent weeks, from Norway to Japan.
Sweltering summers are the norm in Greece, where at least 82 people have been killed in the country’s worst ever forest fires. But in Northern Europe, the recent heatwave is exceptional, and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) predicts temperatures will continue to beat the seasonal average from Ireland to Scandinavia and the Baltic countries until early August. This has been the hottest July for at least 250 years in Sweden, where indigenous Sami reindeer herders have been among those worst hit by an unprecedented drought as well as devastating wildfires. Dozens of people have died in Japan in what officials have called an "unprecedented" heatwave, while California has also notched up ...
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