heat wave that hits Europe It continues to achieve important milestones for the countries of the continent, as July was the driest month in decades for countries like United kingdom And the France.
After the country experienced its driest July since 1935, the British Met Office said in a statement on Monday, “The UK received only 35% of the average rainfall for the month.”
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The southern and eastern regions were hardest hit by the lack of rain, with only 17% of precipitation in this period, the lowest value since 1836. In addition to much less rain than forecast, temperatures also reached values above 40 °C for the former . The time in history, when a record temperature of 40.3 degrees Celsius was recorded in Lincolnshire.
In France, which had its driest July since 1959, there was only 7.8 mm of rain in the entire month, according to the country’s Minister for Environmental Transformation Christophe Picchu, adding that the water deficit has reached 88%.
The heat wave has also triggered a string of wildfires in the western and southern parts of the country, with temperatures expected to rise this week. According to the French meteorological service, temperatures in the southwest region should be above 40 degrees Celsius.
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At the same time, the Spanish Minister of Agriculture warned of the possibility of reducing olive oil production due to the hot climate and lack of rainfall.
“If there is no relief from temperature or rainfall in the next few weeks, this year’s olive harvest could be significantly lower than the previous one,” said Luis Planas. Bloomberg News.
Spain, the world’s largest producer of olive oil, accounts for half of all global production, and according to Planas, the setback, combined with continued disruptions to Ukraine’s sunflower oil supply, means vegetable oil prices are likely to remain high.
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As a result of rising temperatures, the Ministry of Agriculture expects that the country’s total production of grains, including corn, wheat and barley, may fall by 13% this year to 17.5 million tons, and prices in the south, which are a benchmark for the country, have already increased 8.3% in June compared to the previous harvest.
Amid the heat wave, the Spanish government has announced new energy-saving measures, including restrictions on air conditioning and heating temperatures in large public and commercial buildings, in order to reduce energy consumption and dependence on Russian oil and gas.
Under a decree that takes effect within seven days and applies to public buildings, shopping malls, cinemas, theaters, railway stations and airports, the temperature must not be higher than 19 degrees Celsius and the air conditioning must not be lower than 27 degrees Celsius. The doors must be closed so that power is not lost and the window lights must be turned off after 22:00.
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The measures, published in the Official Gazette on Tuesday, will remain in effect until November 2023. In addition, Environment Minister Teresa Ribera has also suggested that public administrations and large companies encourage people to work from home to save money. Transport and buildings.
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