Hot air in southern Europe has turned Italy into a ‘giant pizza oven’, climate expert says
A group of people cool off with a fan during a heat wave with temperatures reaching 44 degrees at the Colosseum on July 17, 2023 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
The current heat wave has “definitely” brought the climate crisis closer to many people, with extremely high temperatures intensifying in southern Europe. This has turned Italy and neighboring countries into a “giant pizza oven,” according to reports by scientists compiled by the UK-based Center for Science Media.
“A bubble of warm air swelling over southern Europe has turned Italy and neighboring countries into a giant pizza oven,” meteorological scientist and professor at the University of Reading Hannah Cloke said in a statement on Monday.
“The warm air from Africa is in place, and high pressure conditions have set in, meaning the warm sea, land and air are continuing to heat up,” Kloeck explained.
Simon Lewis, professor of global change science at University College London, cautioned that “this is only the beginning”, and noted that this summer’s extreme weather events are still below 1.2 degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels. Scientists are urging society not to exceed the 1.5 degree limit.
“Current policies will lead to 2.7 degrees (Celsius) of warming by 2100. This is very scary,” Lewis said in a statement. “As scientists agreed last year: the opportunity to ensure a livable and sustainable future for all is rapidly closing.”
Scientists have warned for decades that the climate crisis will trigger extreme heat, already one of the worst weather events ever.
“(Heat waves) are becoming more frequent and intense, causing infrastructure destruction, health problems and deaths, droughts and water shortages, and we are unprepared for such events,” said Melissa Lazenby, a senior lecturer in climate change at the university. Sussex
“We are moving out of the regular and familiar natural oscillations of climate and into uncharted and more extreme territory,” he added.
