Unprecedented Heatwave Disaster in Northern Europe

In the summer of 2025, Norway, Finland, Sweden and other Arctic Circle countries suffered persistent high temperatures, the Norwegian Arctic Circle for 13 consecutive days of temperatures exceeding 30 ℃, the Finnish Arctic region for three consecutive weeks exceeded 25 ℃, breaking the longest heat wave record since 1961. High temperatures led to the paralysis of the Nordic health care system, the northern Finland ice rink into a temporary summer shelter, Swedish hospitals due to heat stroke and cardiovascular disease patients surge and overloaded. Reindeer are dying from a massive die-off of moss, with the Norwegian Polar Institute reporting that 200 reindeer have died of starvation on the Svalbard archipelago, and the Saami’s millennia-old nomadic way of life is coming to an end. Wildfires in the European Union covered 300,000 hectares, twice the average for the same period in the past 19 years, with Greece and Italy particularly affected, and the release of carbon from peatlands is contributing to global warming.