Portugal is reeling from an unprecedented May heatwave, with temperatures soaring past 40 degrees Celsius in several regions. The country's weather service, IPMA, confirmed that multiple records were broken, including a national high of 42.3°C in the central town of Alvega on May 13. This event is not an isolated anomaly but a clear signal of a climate system under accelerating stress.
The heatwave has exacerbated drought conditions, with 85% of Portugal experiencing severe or extreme drought. Wildfires have erupted across the country, scorching thousands of hectares of forest and threatening homes. Emergency services are stretched thin, and the government has activated a national crisis response.
This event fits a troubling pattern. Europe is warming faster than the global average. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the continent has warmed by about 2.2°C since pre-industrial times, compared to the global average of 1.1°C. Heatwaves in Europe are now three times more likely to occur than a century ago. The physics is straightforward: a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, and when that moisture is lacking over land, it accelerates drying and heating, creating a feedback loop.
The implications are grave. Agriculture is already suffering: olive groves, vineyards, and cereal crops are wilting. This will drive up food prices and threaten rural livelihoods. On the energy front, heatwaves reduce the efficiency of thermal power plants and stress the grid, while hydropower output falls due to low reservoir levels.
What can be done? Adaptation is urgent but has limits. We must rethink our relationship with energy and land. The logical path is a rapid transition to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal power. These technologies are now cheaper than fossil fuels in many contexts. They also offer distributed generation, reducing vulnerability to centralised grid failures.
But technology alone will not save us. We must also rethink our built environment: white roofs, urban green spaces, and improved insulation can reduce the urban heat island effect. On a personal level, people need heat-health action plans, accessible cooling centres, and early warning systems.
None of this will matter without aggressive emissions reductions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has made it clear that every fraction of a degree of warming increases the risk of extreme events. Portugal is a stark reminder that climate change is not a future problem. It is here, now, and it is intensifying.
As a scientist, I feel a sense of calm urgency. The data are overwhelming. The trends are clear. We have the tools to act. What we lack is the collective will. Let this heatwave be a turning point, not a footnote.
