Lower thirds:

00:02 Report by Tim Schauenberg
01:30 Carlo Buontempo | Copernicus Climate Change Service

Script:

As the church bells ring in Seville, the Spanish authorities are sounding the alarm: a heatwave warning. .

 It's morning here and already 31 degrees Celsius. Temperatures could rise to 43 degrees during the day.

0013

+++ Voxes // SPAN 

Garbage Collector:  

We have to be constantly looking for shade, the air conditioning in the car, whoever has it, and look, we wear a bracelet that beeps for the heat. 

Girl on a bike:  

It's terrible for me, I mean, I don't sleep well, insomnia and then I get heat stroke. I stop eating and I can't concentrate. 

 +++ 

0034

And it's not only in Spain: across Europe,  people are struggling to stay cool as extreme temperatures hit in regions from north to south (or in large parts).

For scientists, this comes as no surprise. They have been warning for years that burning fossil fuels, is causing global warming, making heatwaves more likely and more severe. 

What is exceptional for Europe: 

The continent is warming twice as fast as the global average.

0059

Scientists from the Copernicus Climate Observatory Programme think this is linked to various factors. 

 Like Europe's proximity to the Arctic. 

The more ice that melts there, the fewer sun rays are sent back into space.  

The result: the region heats up even more.  

Another factor is Europe's shrinking rivers and lakes  caused by severe droughts in recent years. Since land warms up faster than water, it gets even warmer in summer. 

 And t here might be a contribution of aerosol reduction too. 

0129

+++ SOT Carlo Buontempo // Copernicus Climate Change Service 

 We clean our air, our industrial processes and transport are cleaner than before and this cleans atmosphere. So there is a positive trend in terms of radiation in Europe. So there are more sunshine hours every year. So all these combined can play a role. 

+++ 

0145

Then there is the super fast warming of the mediterranean sea, which is contributing to heat waves and more extreme droughts in the south.

The dark red colours on this map show areas that are more than 5 degrees above the seasonal average.  

0157

Heat - known as the silent killer - is a serious health risk for everyone but particularly for elderly people, those with illnesses and children. 

As the hot weather continues, Seville's authorities keep warning residents. Meanwhile in Italy, some regions have put restrictions on outdoor work during the peak heat hours.

0219