A blistering
heatwave across Europe is threatens to put the whole continent in disarray at a
time when geopolitics is already putting a strain on its energy supplies. The
United Kingdom is the worst affected. When temperatures rose to above 40
degrees Celsius, the government asked people to not board trains and schools
were ordered shut. In short, the British people were asked to stay home.

A temperature of
40 degrees and slightly upward doesn’t seem unnerving to someone sitting in south
Asia or Australia. But Britain has never seen mercury rise to these levels. The
government’s appeal to stay home doesn’t help because in the United Kingdom, homes
are designed to keep the heat in.

Also Read | Homes destroyed by wildfires across London on hottest day

The situation in
UK is turning “virtually impossible,” according to the country’s Met Office
chief scientist Stephen Belcher. Speaking in disbelief, Belcher attributed the cause
of the temperature rise to climate change. “…Climate change driven by
greenhouse gases have made these temperatures possible, and we’re actually
seeing that possibility now,” he said.

He added if the
world does not reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such waves will recur every
three years. The United Kingdom is woefully unprepared for impacts of the
climate crisis. Floods have continued to be an immense challenge for Britain
through the years.

Also Read | Hot weather reportedly melts runways at RAF Brize Norton base, Luton airport in UK

The sweltering
heat is coming at an immense cost to Britons. On Tuesday, so many fires broke
out in London that the fire brigade system was overwhelmed. Four people drowned
in beaches, rivers and lakes just to stay cool and a London runway had to be
closed off as it melted in the heat.

Friederike Otto
from the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College, London said
it was up to the world to reach net zero. “We have the agency to make us less vulnerable
and redesign our cities, homes, schools and hospitals and educate us on how to
keep safe,” he told CNN.

“40 degrees
Celsius in the UK is not an act of god, but to a large degree due to our past
and present burning of fossil fuels,” he added.