Why is Europe experiencing such extremes in its weather and what can be done?

The weather in Europe this July is, effectively, a tale of two halves.

In the north of the continent, temperatures have been far below average, with significantly more rain than normal, while the south is battling heat waves and wildfires.

In Belgium alone, June marked the ninth month in a row with more rain than usual - a new record for the country, the worst for 119 years. Mid-June saw a month's worth of rain fall in just one week which led to floods in several regions.

It was also a far less sunny month than an ordinary June, a sentiment shared across much of the rest of northern Europe, where temperatures are still struggling to break the 20 Celsius mark in many places.

While residents of the north are still waiting for a typical summer to kick off, countries further south and east are already sweltering and facing problems of their own.

EU climate monitor Copernicus’ latest report plainly shows that the month was warmer globally than any previous June in its historical data.

In fact, it was the 13th month in a row which boasted record-breaking heat. Sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic have also soared to their highest level in more than 40 years.

Overall, July 2023 - June 2024 have been the warmest ever on record, coming in at 0.76 Celsius above the 1991-2020 average and a further 1.64°C above the pre-industrial average.

Spain, Italy and Greece remain as some of the most popular destinations for summer holidays. The reason? They provide the type of trips a majority of Europeans typically want: sun and beach-based holidays.

That’s according to the European Travel Commission (ETC) - but could the extreme heat be putting tourists off?

It seems so.

The ETC has reported that the number of tourists heading to