Climate Threat Global Challenges

Europe's heatwaves
Heatstroke and forest fires - Europe fights the heat

The heatwave in Europe is intensifying and in several countries the emergency services are mobilizing to deal with forest fires, writes AFP.

On Thursday, a large forest fire broke out just south of Athens and on Sunday it burned in southwest France and western Turkey. Two-thirds of Portugal was covered by warnings for extreme heat and forest fires yesterday and in Italy, warnings for extreme heat have been issued in 21 cities across the country.

Italian emergency departments report a ten percent increase in people being treated for heatstroke.

- It is mainly the elderly, cancer patients or homeless people who suffer from dehydration and heatstroke, says Mario Guarino, vice president of the Italian Association of Emergency Medicine.

Travel companies: "Most people know it's usually hot"

No charter company is letting travelers who are worried about the extreme heat in Europe cancel their bookings. According to the companies, this is not something that is requested, writes TT.

- Most people are aware that it's usually hot, says TUI's press officer Dian Martinez Valencia.

Ving's communications manager Claes Pellvik says that the slightly shaky weather in Sweden has even increased the pressure on trips to the sun.

In Seville, Spain, temperatures are approaching 50 degrees, writes Aftonbladet.

- I have never experienced so much heat like this, says Beatrice, who traveled from Portugal with her mother and sister.

Swedish Johanna Nilsson, who lives in Seville, tells Expressen that she is used to the heat but reacts to the behavior of some tourists.

- I have myself seen tourists sit on outdoor cafes and drink alcohol. It is life-threatening.

Floods in Pakistan
Many dead after heavy rain in Pakistan

At least 45 people have died in Pakistan in recent days, AFP reports. The country has recently been hit by heavy monsoon rains and several floods.

In the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on the border with Afghanistan, 21 people died, ten of them children, in a flood.

Pakistan is one of the countries in the world hardest hit by climate change. Its 240 million inhabitants are increasingly affected by extreme weather phenomena and natural disasters, the news agency writes. 

EU Plans to Allow Climate Credits by 2040

The European Commission wants member states to be able to use carbon credits to achieve climate goals from 2036, according to a draft that Politico has seen.

This means that countries can pay for climate projects in poorer countries and count the emission reductions as their own. Reuters writes that the purpose of the credits is to make the goal easier to digest for EU countries that have protested the costs. However, critics believe that it could slow down the EU's own climate action.

The EU's 2040 targets will be presented on Wednesday, after several months of delays. According to previous drafts, the Union's net greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced by 90 percent compared to 1990 levels, as part of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.