The flooding incident highlights serious climate-related challenges that the modern world is struggling with, including inadequate drainage systems. The latest reports also show that Europe is the fastest-warming continent.

Climate Crisis Intensifies in the United Arab Emirates

Experts believe that new cities built on previously uninhabitable areas are blocking natural water absorption systems, and older settlements are also at risk due to the increasing frequency of heavy rainfall events.

“When we pave a road, it's as if it disappears,” said a sustainability expert to CNBC online portal, highlighting a major urban development and climate technology challenge as last week's flooding in Dubai demonstrated how urban planning is failing one of climate change's major tests.

In a world characterized by an increasing likelihood of extreme weather phenomena, the size and modernity of the world's expanding settlements are becoming irrelevant, as they cannot manage water runoff in the event of excessive rainfall.

Experts say that cities in the United Arab Emirates and similar settlements built on previously uninhabitable terrains reflect 20th-century urban development concepts that result in the obstruction of natural water absorption systems.

Adding to this the growing population, which generates more waste, places increasing challenges on the world.

Parts of the United Arab Emirates experienced rainfall last week equivalent to the annual average, a trend that is expected to intensify due to climate change. The region witnessed unprecedented rainfall, marking the highest amount recorded since measurements began in 1949. Scientists say last week's events serve as a stark illustration of the global situation in the fight against climate change.

Climate Report: Europe as the Fastest-Warming Continent

According to a joint report published on Monday by the WMO and Copernicus (C3S), Europe is warming at a rate nearly twice as fast as the global average, posing severe health and economic consequences.

The average temperature in Europe currently exceeds pre-industrial levels by 2.3 degrees Celsius, compared to a 1.3 degree Celsius increase globally. The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement aimed to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The report identifies emissions of greenhouse gases as the primary cause of last year's extreme heat, with the El Niño weather phenomenon also playing a role.

The two organizations warn that the world is not doing enough to mitigate the consequences of global warming.

This year's focus on the human health impacts of heatwaves in Europe revealed an increase in deaths directly linked to extreme weather, with over 150 fatalities last year due to storms, floods, and wildfires.

Extreme heat poses health risks especially to outdoor workers, the elderly, and individuals with heart disease and diabetes. The report highlighted that heat-related deaths in Europe have increased by about 30% over the past 20 years. Climate change is also leading to illnesses such as cancer, kidney failure, and various respiratory diseases, which can result in death or chronic conditions, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Extreme weather, including heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, and flooding, coincides with warming and unusually low snowfall leading to a significant reduction in glaciers across Europe, with about 10% of remaining glacier ice in the Alps melting in the last two years.

Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary-General, called the climate crisis “the greatest challenge of our generation,” emphasizing that combating climate change may seem costly, but inaction will cost much more.

Europe in 2023 has experienced several records: unprecedented numbers of Europeans were affected by heatwaves, the oceans reached record temperatures, and glacier melting set new records. Events like these are likely to become more frequent and intense due to climate change.