In Europe, temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius this week, surpassing the heat in parts of Spain and Portugal compared to the Sahara Desert. Authorities are urging people to stay indoors, schools are shut down, wildfires are spreading, and nuclear plants are reducing output due to warm river waters affecting cooling efficiency. The World Health Organization reports over 1,300 deaths in Europe since June 21st due to the extreme heat.

Europe historically designed its cities, homes, and tourism around the belief that summers would be warm but tolerable. However, this assumption is evolving as the climate shifts. The Guardian’s Europe environment correspondent, Ajit Niranjan, discusses the repercussions of an entire continent realizing it was planned for a climate that no longer exists.