Record-breaking, scorching heat in Europe this summer helped kill more than 50,000 people, and nearly two-thirds of that death toll is attributed to human-caused climate change, according to a new study. The researchers modeled heat-related deaths for different age groups in 854 European cities during repeated heat waves in June, July and August and found that 50,391 people died from warmer temperatures, and of those, 32,619 died from the extra heat caused by burns. of coal, oil and gas, according to a study to be published in an upcoming issue of Nature Health. That’s 71 percent more than the previous deadliest summer, which was 29,480 in 2022, according to the same researchers, who produced a study earlier this month tracking annual summer heat-related deaths in those European cities. And this summer’s death figures are underestimated because they don’t count a deadly heat wave in May and only consider deaths in those 854 cities, which are home to about 40 percent of Europe’s population, the study’s authors said. WATCH | Europeans face record temperatures in heatwave: Millions across Europe face record temperatures in major heatwave Much of Western Europe experienced another scorching day Saturday amid a deadly heatwave that has already broken temperature records in Britain, France and Spain. Heat is moving east across the continent, and one expert warns that Switzerland’s glaciers will lose a huge amount of ice due to the heatwave. About a third of the deaths occurred between June 17 and July 1, a particularly intense heat wave when temperatures were 5.3 C above normal, said study co-author Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, a biostatistician at Imperial College London. “In much of western and northern Europe, our infrastructure is simply not designed to cope with the kind of temperatures we are seeing now due to the effects of human-caused warming,” said lead author Clair Barnes, a climate scientist at Imperial College London. He said this summer some European cities had temperatures 12C warmer than normal. Of those 50,000, more than 32,000 died from the added heat of human-caused climate change, the study also found. Italy, France, Spain and Germany had the highest number of deaths, according to the study. Of all European capitals, Rome had the highest total heat deaths between 2000 and 2025, according to the team’s study earlier this month. An extra dose of heat from burning fossil fuels This would already have been an abnormal natural heat wave on top of a huge amount of climate change, Barnes said. He said Europe is the fastest warming continent, although the Arctic, which is not a continent, is warming even faster, and is 2.5 C warmer than pre-industrial times. “Just the underlying warming due to human activity, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels, is raising all of our temperatures by what seems like a pretty small amount,” Barnes said. “For many people, it is true that those two and a half additional degrees [Celsius] “WATCH | Wildfires force 300,000 people from their homes in France and Spain: Devastating fires in Europe force 300,000 from their homes. Deadly, fast-spreading wildfires in France and Spain have forced more than 300,000 people to evacuate, and there are concerns that an imminent heatwave could make the situation worse. More than half of those who died People who suffered in Europe’s heat had 85 years or older, but the sweltering temperatures also killed more than 800 people between the ages of 20 and 44, Konstantinoudis said. How death figures are calculated The deaths that occurred this summer are those that were caused by global warming. The percentage of heat deaths attributable to global warming has increased from about 45 percent in the early 2000s to 65 percent now, Barnes said. “Together, these two trends produce increasingly high and accurate counts of heat-related deaths.” WATCH | El Niño-fueled heat could cause half a million deaths in February: El Niño-fueled heat could kill half a million people in February: studyRecord global heat caused by the This year’s powerful El Niño could lead to nearly half a million more deaths worldwide by the end of February, according to a report that also highlights the impact of climate change on extreme heat. The scientific team also had to use statistical models to arrive at the base count. The researchers ran a complex mathematical equation that has been used in several previously peer-reviewed studies, Barnes said, which takes into account specific age and temperatures for each of the 854 cities based on a localized optimal temperature that coincides with the fewest deaths. heat or colder, the equation calculates excess deaths above lower mortality conditions. The researchers then compared their calculations with real-time estimates from government agencies. They mostly, but not always, agreed fairly well, Konstantinoudis said. The team’s methods for the British heat waves in May and June estimated 2,700 excess deaths and the UK’s health statistics agency said it was 2,800. “To prepare for the heat we now cannot avoid, with urgent investments in early heat warning systems, equitable access to low-carbon cooling systems, and friend-of-neighbor systems that monitor and support people most at risk, while rapidly reducing the use of fossil fuels driving the crisis,” said Canadian emergency room doctor Dr. Courtney Howard, president-elect of the Canadian Medical Association, who was not part of the research. “We can’t just clean up the mess on the floor without thinking about turning off the faucet,” said Patz, a professor of health and environmental science. different levels. We need better cooling and protection of vulnerable populations from the inevitable increase in frequency and extreme heat waves. “But we also need to get to the root of the problem and absolutely address the burning of fossil fuels.”
