Spanish
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said workers should stop wearing ties to work in a
bid to conserve energy. Spain is facing an immense heatwave along with the rest
of Europe. Temperatures have remained above 35 degrees Celsius. As temperatures
keep soaring, Europe is also on the brink of an energy crisis. In such a
situation, the Spanish PM said the government will implement several new
energy-saving measures from Monday.

In course
of a news conference in Madrid, Prime Minister Sanchez pointed out that he was
not wearing a tie. He said that he wants his ministers, public officials and
workers, both in the government and private sector, to do the same. “This means
that we all can save energy,” Sanchez said. According to Sanchez, not wearing
ties will lead to reduced use of air conditioners.

Also Read | Climate change made UK heatwave at least 10 times more likely: Study

Spain is not
the only country that has asked people to switch to cooler clothing. Japan, in
2011, ran the “Super Cool Biz” campaign that called on officegoers to wear
cooler clothes in summer. In the United Kingdom, politicians have been allowed
to visit the House of Commons without suits or coats.

Spain is
looking for ways to counter the current heatwave. In such a pursuit, the
government is coming up with a new policy. Media reports indicate the new
policy will encourage businesses to keep their doors closed when possible so
that air condition runs with minimum loss. The same policy has been implemented
in France. Germany announced only cold showers will be available at its
swimming pools and sporting centres.

Also Read | Why baked Britain cannot beat the heat

Europe has
seen record-breaking high temperatures over the last couple of weeks. The sign
of the times is heatwaves will become more frequent and last longer owing to
climate change. Extremely high temperatures have forced governments to rethink
energy-use and come up with policies to protect the environment and save on
energy.