Europe is currently encountering record-breaking heat waves that are only getting worse as the summer continues. Temperatures have hit 115.5 ºF (46.4 ºC) and the European Space Agency expects the continent to experience temperatures up to 118 ºF (48 ºC) by the end of July; this would be the hottest weather in history for many European countries.

What is responsible for this extreme weather increase in Europe? The answer is climate change, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), a part of the European Union Space Programme.

Climate change is caused when greenhouse gasses are trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere. These gasses absorb heat from the sun and make temperatures increase, resulting in global warming along with other changes to weather patterns and subsequently environmental transformations.

The concept of climate change is playing out in Europe in a slightly different way than typical. The C3S found that Europe’s sweltering temperatures are brought about by a heat dome, which is a hot air mass that increases in an apparatus with high-pressure levels (known as an anticyclone). The anticyclone makes air hotter in its small pocket of heat and also decreases cloud cover. In turn, there is an increased amount of electromagnetic radiation from the sun, not only making the Earth hotter but also pushing more heat into the Earth’s atmosphere. This results in the continuous cycle of climate change and global warming, especially affecting Europe as it is the location of a heat dome and the succeeding heat waves.

The prime minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, touched on the harm that the intense heat waves have brought to Europe.

“The hard times are clearly not over yet… We are facing another heat wave and a possible strengthening of the winds... absolute vigilance and absolute readiness are required,” Mitsotakis said.

A 2022 study published in the Nature Medicine Journal revealed that over 60,000 Europeans died from summer heat waves last year. When looking at the current summer temperatures in Europe, the number of deaths from heat waves could possibly increase this year. The European heat dome is a microcosm for the idea that climate change must be stopped and reversed, lest it continue to increase along with global warming. Action must be taken against climate change to prevent further detrimental impacts in Europe and on a global scale.