health
European heatwave is worst ever and impossible without climate crisis, scientists say
Study also finds high humidity means people in hundreds of cities are enduring their worst ever heat stress
TL;DR
- The current heatwave in western Europe is the most severe and widespread ever recorded.
- Scientists attribute this extreme heatwave directly to the climate crisis caused by burning fossil fuels.
- High humidity is increasing heat stress in nearly half of Europe's largest cities, making heatwaves more dangerous.
- The UK recorded its hottest ever June temperature, and western Europe has seen a sharp rise in medical emergencies and deaths.
- In summer 2022, over 60,000 people died from heat in Europe.
- The severity of extreme heat is worsening rapidly due to continued carbon pollution.
- Heatwaves similar to the current one would have been significantly cooler in the past due to lower global heating.
- Sweltering night-time temperatures are about 100 times more likely today than in 2003.
- Without urgent climate action, future heat conditions will be even more extreme.
- At least 100 million people in Europe were expected to face temperatures above 35C on Thursday.
- The UN's climate chief calls for a faster shift to clean energy and protection of forests.
- Research has ruled out natural variability, including El Niño, as the primary cause, confirming climate change as the driving force.
- Existing early warning systems and action plans, while helpful, are not enough to combat intensifying heat.
- There is a need for greater investment in heat-resilient infrastructure.
- UK infrastructure is described as 'built for a climate that no longer exists'.
- Between 2020 and 2024, over 10,000 people died in Britain due to summer heatwaves.
- London's ambulance service responded to a record number of life-threatening emergencies in a single day.
- Older people, children, and vulnerable individuals are most at risk, but everyone is warned to be in danger.
- A study of a less intense heatwave in 2024 found that two-thirds of over 2,300 deaths in 12 cities would not have occurred without climate change.
- Experts warn that climate change is killing one person a minute globally.