Building for 131°F: Europe races to protect its infrastructure from a ‘quiet catastrophe’
📰 source: cnbc_topnews · 💼 business
europe is racing to adapt its infrastructure to extreme heat after a summer of record-breaking temperatures and wildfires. eurostar says its new fleet of up to 50 celestia trains will be built to withstand 55°c heat, up from the original 45°c plan, entering service in 2031. at oslo airport, asphalt hit 52°c, so fire crews doused the tarmac with 13,000 liters of water every hour. stockholm's transport operator painted railway tracks white to prevent buckling, a technique also used in spain and italy. wildfires in france and spain forced over 330,000 people to evacuate in the past week.
climate researchers say europe is warming at twice the global average. extreme heat days could double or triple in central europe by 2050, while southern areas could see 40-55 such days per year. oxford's jan rosenow says the world didn't listen to decades of warnings and keeps burning fossil fuels at record levels. allianz risk consulting's lena fuldauer calls extreme heat a 'quiet catastrophe' for businesses, noting that temperatures above 50°c that were virtually impossible pre-industrially are now up to 1,000 times more likely.
why it matters: extreme heat forces costly infrastructure upgrades across europe, raising climate risk for transport and utility investments.
source: cnbc_topnews
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