This week, thousands of scientists, policymakers, executives and activists have gathered in London for a week of climate events.
The climate showed up, too.
A heat dome has gripped much of Europe for days, sending temperatures across the continent and Britain soaring to deeply uncomfortable levels.
Temperatures have reached 36.4 Celsius, or 97.5 Fahrenheit, in southwest England, provisionally making it Britain’s highest June temperature on record. The British weather service said this beats the previous June maximum temperature, which was set only yesterday.
It was the kind of heat that has the potential to refocus attention on global warming at a time when other global challenges, like inflation and the wars in Ukraine and Iran, are more visible. Worldwide temperatures continue to climb, and extreme weather is on the rise. A powerful El Niño has formed in the Pacific, possibly made more powerful by rising temperatures, and experts predict it will unleash yet more searing heat and drought.
“Today this city, and far beyond, are experiencing the hottest day of the year, with higher temperatures to come,” United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said on Tuesday. “London isn’t just calling. It’s cooking.”
Some events at London Climate Action Week were canceled because of the stifling temperatures.
Among the casualties was a session titled “Extreme Heat: Improving governance and strengthening action around the world,” which was scheduled for Wednesday.
Organizers said proceeding would have been a health hazard.
“The event venue, like most buildings in London, does not have any cooling mechanisms in place, and we cannot risk the wellbeing of speakers or guests by subjecting everyone to very unpleasant indoor conditions in addition to hot journeys to the venue,” they said in a statement.
In short, a session about extreme heat got canceled because of extreme heat.
“It is deeply ironic,” said Bob Ward, policy director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics, and one of the sponsors of the event.
Another session, “Nature’s Economic Future,” scheduled for Thursday morning, was also shelved because of “the extreme weather conditions.”
Other marquee events proceeded as planned, albeit uncomfortably.
During a Wednesday reception at St. James’s Palace, King Charles III spoke to a broiling room of V.I.P.s about “super pollutants” such as methane. Those in attendance, including Guterres and Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, frantically fanned themselves as the king spoke.
At one event, the moderator was instructed to address the situation with the audience, offering disclaimers about the lack of air-conditioning, encouraging those in attendance to drink water and to notify a staff member if they felt “dizzy, faint, nauseous, unusually tired, develop a headache, or experience muscle cramps.”
“If you stop sweating, become confused, have trouble concentrating, or feel like you might pass out, seek help immediately,” the moderator said. “These can be signs of serious heat illness.”
Europe is warming faster than any other continent, as Raymond Zhong explained yesterday.
“Emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases from human activity are driving the planet’s long-term increase in temperatures, which is helping hot spells reach ever-greater extremes of severity and duration,” he wrote. “But local factors determine how all that excess heat is distributed around the world, and why temperatures are rising faster in some places than others.”
In London, where air-conditioning is a rarity, attendees were scrambling to adjust.
There were widespread disruptions across London’s subway system, where most of the lines lack cooling systems.
Hoping to avoid the underground oven, many conference goers used London’s electric bike share network. But with demand for communal e-bikes outstripping supply, a race to find open parking docks ensued, leaving many sweat-soaked professionals late for their meetings.
One organizer said attempts to procure 50 hand-held fans to distribute at a side event were unsuccessful. Not even Amazon had any in stock.
The heat also kept some locals hoping to attend the climate conference at home. Many schools were dismissed early, forcing Londoners to tend to their children and cancel their work plans.
“This has been a very clear demonstration of London’s vulnerability to heat,” Ward said.
Lisa Friedman contributed reporting.
A new backup plan for imperiled species
The Trump administration and a private company that aims to bring long-gone animals back from extinction announced a partnership on Thursday to preserve cells, tissue and DNA from threatened and endangered species.
The company, Colossal Biosciences, said its goal was to store samples from every animal and plant protected under the Endangered Species Act, which includes more than 2,300 listings worldwide.
Such biobanks are considered critical as more species face the risk of extinction. But concerns are also growing that genetic engineering and de-extinction efforts could erode support for on-the-ground habitat conservation.
Last year, Colossal received both accolades and scrutiny when it claimed that it had revived the extinct dire wolf. Many scientists pushed back, pointing out that the animals were simply gray wolves with a smattering of altered genes that changed their appearance. — Carl Zimmer and Catrin Einhorn
Correction: The Climate Forward newsletter on Tuesday stated incorrectly the amount Tom Steyer spent on his unsuccessful campaign for California governor. It was $216 million, not $558 million. ($558 million is the total amount Mr. Steyer spent running for governor this year and for president in 2020.)
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