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Extreme heat in Europe 'a brutal reminder' of climate crisis, UN chief says
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/27/extreme-heat-in-europe-a-brutal-reminder-of-climate-crisis-un-chief-saysSimon Stiell said burning fossil fuels was driving intense heatwaves as UK and France broke temperature records on consecutive days
Jon Henley in Paris and Sam Jones in Madrid
Wed 27 May 2026 10.50 EDT
The UN climate chief has said an extreme early heat event sweeping parts of western Europe was “a brutal reminder of the spiralling impacts of the climate crisis”, after France and the UK set new temperature records for May on two consecutive days.
Simon Stiell, the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said on Wednesday the “main culprit” was humanity’s burning of coal, oil and gas – known to be the primary driver of climate change.
“The science is clear that human-induced climate change is making these heatwaves more frequent and extreme,” Stiell said, as France, Spain and the UK sweltered in temperatures usually associated with July or August.
“Protecting human lives, businesses and economies from extreme heat and the many other soaring costs of climate change is core business for every nation, and it starts with kicking the fossil fuel addiction much faster.”
…
Jon Henley in Paris and Sam Jones in Madrid
Wed 27 May 2026 10.50 EDT
The UN climate chief has said an extreme early heat event sweeping parts of western Europe was “a brutal reminder of the spiralling impacts of the climate crisis”, after France and the UK set new temperature records for May on two consecutive days.
Simon Stiell, the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said on Wednesday the “main culprit” was humanity’s burning of coal, oil and gas – known to be the primary driver of climate change.
“The science is clear that human-induced climate change is making these heatwaves more frequent and extreme,” Stiell said, as France, Spain and the UK sweltered in temperatures usually associated with July or August.
“Protecting human lives, businesses and economies from extreme heat and the many other soaring costs of climate change is core business for every nation, and it starts with kicking the fossil fuel addiction much faster.”
…
1 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read
Tourists and locals in Madrid, Paris, London, Dublin and Berlin share their experiences of the unseasonable May temperatures
Guardian reporters
Wed 27 May 2026 03.00 EDT
In recent days across parts of Europe, temperatures have soared, heat records have been broken and spring has felt more like the height of summer. Météo France, the French national weather service, has attributed this to a “heat dome”, with warmth held in place by a high-pressure weather front that has produced temperatures more than 10C above what used to be usual for this time of year.
Much of Europe experienced temperatures above 30C on Tuesday
Forecast temperature at 1200 GMT, Tuesday 26 May 2026
Human-caused climate breakdown is supercharging extreme weather around the world, driving deadly extremes that can strike at abnormal times in unusual places and claim lives.
Guardian reporters in five European capitals spoke to tourists and locals about how they have experienced this most recent period of unseasonable May heat, and their worries about what the climate emergency might mean for the future.
…
Guardian reporters
Wed 27 May 2026 03.00 EDT
In recent days across parts of Europe, temperatures have soared, heat records have been broken and spring has felt more like the height of summer. Météo France, the French national weather service, has attributed this to a “heat dome”, with warmth held in place by a high-pressure weather front that has produced temperatures more than 10C above what used to be usual for this time of year.
Much of Europe experienced temperatures above 30C on Tuesday
Forecast temperature at 1200 GMT, Tuesday 26 May 2026
Human-caused climate breakdown is supercharging extreme weather around the world, driving deadly extremes that can strike at abnormal times in unusual places and claim lives.
Guardian reporters in five European capitals spoke to tourists and locals about how they have experienced this most recent period of unseasonable May heat, and their worries about what the climate emergency might mean for the future.
…