New Delhi, July 6 -- Like hundreds of other schools across the U.K., the Welsh school where Mark Morris teaches was forced to close its gates during Europe's latest record-smashing heat wave.

With no air conditioning or fans, and intense sunlight coming in from windows that don't open very far - some don't even open at all - Morris said it would have been impossible to conduct his design and technology classes when the mercury hit a record 35.9 degrees Celsius (96.6 Fahrenheit) in Wales.

"Even in a normal summer, the heat on those south-facing windows becomes unbearable," said Morris, who teaches high school children things like woodworking and food preparation. "If there's anything that you need to turn the oven on, you can forget abou...