Northern Spain loses its climate shield: the economic toll of extreme heat

Northern Spain is no longer a climate refuge: extreme heat reaches Santander, Oviedo and Santiago

Heatwaves are no longer a problem exclusive to the south and the Mediterranean. Meteorologists warn that cities such as Santander, Oviedo, Santiago or Lugo are now recording temperatures that would have seemed unthinkable a decade ago: 38°C for several days a year. The myth of the "cool north" is fading, and with it the economic advantages that attracted tourists, investors and residents looking for a mild climate.

The lack of adaptation infrastructure is the first symptom. While other European capitals have developed networks of climate shelters (air-conditioned public spaces, shaded green areas and fountains), the cities of northern Spain lack them. In the middle of a heatwave, some local councils choose to close public parks, a contradictory measure that has been criticised for its ineffectiveness.

The economic impact is tangible. The tourism sector, which had relied on the promise of a mild summer, is facing cancellations and changes of destination. The property market is also feeling the blow: the premium buyers used to pay to live in the north — their "climate insurance" — is shrinking. Those who moved there to escape the heat of Madrid or Seville are wondering whether the move is still worth it.

Sceptics point out that six or seven days of heat a year do not justify the alarm, and that other regions of the world with harsher winters also suffer heatwaves. But the data point to an upward trend: every decade, maximum temperatures in the Cantabrian coast rise by half a degree. The north has lost its climate shield, and adaptation comes at a price that has not yet been fully calculated.