Heat wave pain set to get a name

Greek scientists are planning to name and rank heat waves in an effort to raise awareness of what climate experts have described as "silent killers".

The initiative would be a preventive measure, similar to those used for storms, allowing policymakers to quickly enable policies to protect populations in the event of emergencies.

Devastating infernos have erupted across the Mediterranean region in recent weeks, triggered by extreme heat. A temperature of 48.8 C was measured in Sicily, Italy, on Aug 11, which is the hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe. Neighbor Turkey has suffered too.

Fires have ravaged swathes of land across Greece, destroying homes and leading to mass evacuations, most dramatically on the island of Evia, east of Athens.

In an interview with newspaper The Observer, Kostas Lagouvardos, research director at the National Observatory of Athens, said the extreme heat had been "underestimated" and insisted that both state authorities and citizens must be made more aware of the danger.

"This very hot summer has given us a snapshot of a future climate in 20 or 30 years' time when we're likely to have very long periods of very high temperatures," he said.

"We believe people will be more prepared to face an upcoming weather event when the event has a name… Heat waves cause a lot of deaths; they don't make noise and they may not be visible but they're a silent killer."

A recent draft report from the United Nations warned that warming across the Mediterranean will be about 20 percent higher than global averages in the decades to come, with scientists saying annual mean temperatures in the region will likely increase by up to 2 C over the next 30 years.

In an interview with CNN, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the prime minister of Greece, said climate change was to blame for temperatures that had effectively "turned the country into a powder keg".

"We need to drastically change the way that we produce electricity, the way we build our buildings, the way we grow our food, the way we move around," said Mitsotakis, who announced a 500 million euros ($584 million) relief package.

Warmer planet

Studies have noted that Athens is mainland Europe's hottest metropolis, and therefore likely to suffer more from the consequences of a warmer planet.

The capital recently became the first European city to appoint a chief heat officer, Eleni Myrivili. The academic and former vice-mayor told The Observer that measuring heat waves is vital.

"The whole idea of making heat waves more visible by naming and categorizing them in terms of severity would be a turning point," Myrivili said.

"It would help people understand the danger that is looming, while enabling decision-makers to trigger policies that would better protect them."