Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez without a tie in Madrid on July 29. Photo: Javier Soriano/AFP via Getty Images
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday urged public officials and private sector workers to dress more casually to stay cooler after a deadly heat wave hit the country earlier this month, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: More than 2,000 people died from heat-related causes in Spain and Portugal in roughly a week after a deadly heat wave swept through Europe over several weeks.
- Computer models project that another heat wave is anticipated for Europe, including Spain, next week.
What they're saying: "I'd like you all to note that I am not wearing a tie," Sánchez said during a news conference, according to Reuters. "This means we can all save from an energy point of view."
- "I have asked ministers, all public officials, and I would like to ask the private sector too, if they haven't already done so, not to wear a tie when it isn't necessary because that way we will be confronting the energy saving that is so important in our country," he said.
The big picture: Climate change from greenhouse gas emissions is expected to make heat waves more severe, frequent and longer-lasting.
- Japan in 2011 started encouraging office workers to wear cooler clothes in summer, while politicians in the United Kingdom were told they could take off suit jackets while in the House of Commons during the most recent heat wave, according to the BBC.
Go deeper: Hundreds of temperature records broken as heat wave scorches the U.S.