Over 50,000 people died in European cities during the brutal heatwaves that hit the continent this summer, according to two studies published in the journal Nature Health and reported by several international media.
According to the analysis, this year's heat was the deadliest ever recorded in the region, and approximately two-thirds of the deaths— over 32,600—are directly attributable to climate change, fueled by fossil fuel pollution. For the study, researchers used temperature data and models based on the historical relationship between heat and mortality to estimate heat-related excess deaths.
"I think it's safe to say that this summer was probably the worst on record for heat-related mortality across much of Europe ," said Clair Barnes, co-author of the reports and a researcher specializing in extreme weather events and climate change at Imperial College London. Italy, France, Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom reported the highest number of excess deaths, according to estimates compiled by a team of scientists from Imperial College London, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and the universities of Copenhagen, Venice, and Bern.
The team's initial research, covering the period from 2000 to 2025, was published this month in Nature Health, while a second study, covering 2026, has been accepted for publication by the same journal. "These numbers are a stark reminder that our increasingly hot and extreme summers are having an increasingly serious impact on public health," Barnes emphasized.
Although heatstroke can be fatal, most heat-related deaths occur indirectly: heart attacks, strokes, and respiratory failure become more frequent as the body struggles to cool itself. The elderly, the young, and those with underlying health conditions are most at risk. "Heat is a silent killer," said Malcolm Mistry, co-author of the studies and assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Heat-related deaths, he added, are often underreported.
(Unioneonline)
