Greece’s resort island of Rhodes is nursing its wounds after 11 days of devastating wildfires. The July blazes, fed by heat waves, forced 20,000 people to evacuate during the height of tourist season. The island is weighing how the crisis will affect its vital tourism sector, which fuels most of its economy and some 20% of Greece’s. It’s the same for other Mediterranean destinations, like Italy and Spain, where the tourism sector also is being hit by heat waves and wildfires. Flight data shows people have canceled some travel to Rhodes but Greece overall has been OK. Italy, however, has seen slowdowns even outside fire areas. Fallout from climate change is threatening to deter all but the most dedicated sunseekers.
Tourists at a seaside hotel on the Greek island of Rhodes snatched up pails of pool water and damp towels as flames approached, rushing to help staffers and locals extinguish one of the wildfires threatening Mediterranean locales during recent heat waves.
Floriana Peroni’s vintage clothing store had to close for a week during Europe’s heat wave last month. A truck of rented generators blocked her door as they fed power to the central Roman neighborhood hit by a blackout as temperatures surged. The main culprit was air conditioning. Peroni does not have AC either in her home or in her shop. She is like many Romans. The Italian capital once could count on a Mediterranean breeze to bring down nighttime temperatures. But that has become an intermittent relief at best. Peroni says Europeans tend to tolerate the heat and shun air conditioning. But that is starting to change.
During Europe's heat wave last month, Floriana Peroni’s vintage clothing store had to close for a week. A truck of rented generators blocked her door as they fed power to the central Roman neighborhood hit by a blackout as temperatures surged. The period — in which temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) — coincided with peak electricity use that came close to Italy’s all-time high, hitting a peak load of more than 59 gigawatts on July 19.
MILAN (AP) During Europe’s heat wave last month, Floriana Peroni’s vintage clothing store had to close for a week. A truck of rented generators blocked her door as they fed power to the central Roman neighborhood hit by a blackout as temperatures surged. The main culprit: air conditioning. The period in which temperatures […]