A team of researchers has revealed alarming insights about a recent heat wave in Europe, focusing on its deadly impact across 12 major cities, including Madrid and Barcelona. From June 23 to July 2, this heat wave led to an estimated 2,305 premature deaths due to high temperatures. Specifically, this includes 340 deaths in Barcelona and 118 in Madrid.
The study covers cities like London, Paris, and Rome, where roughly 30 million people were under heat alerts during that time. Researchers aimed to assess the role of climate change—particularly from burning fossil fuels—in the extreme heat and related fatalities.
Their findings were stark: approximately 1,500 of those deaths, or about 65%, are believed to be linked directly to climate change. This connection highlights how human activities have raised global temperatures by 1.3 degrees Celsius since the preindustrial era.
Experts explain that climate change is causing heat waves to occur earlier and become more intense. In the analyzed cities, temperatures rose between 2 to 4 degrees higher than usual, posing significant risks, especially for vulnerable populations like the elderly.
Samantha Burgess from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts emphasizes that the recent heat wave was exacerbated by unusually high sea surface temperatures in the Western Mediterranean. She warns that in a warming world, heat waves may become more frequent and severe, affecting more people across Europe.
According to the European Satellite Surveillance Service Copernicus, June marked the fifth warmest month on record, with significant thermal stress observed as temperatures exceeded 38 degrees Celsius in large parts of Western and Southern Europe.
The study also points out a concerning trend: heat waves are now starting much earlier in the summer, catching people unprepared as they haven’t had time to acclimatize. Research suggests that the intensity of heat waves in June has increased more sharply compared to those in July.
If we don’t reduce our reliance on fossil fuels to achieve net-zero emissions, fatalities linked to heat waves are predicted to rise further. Experts continue to voice warnings as this trend poses serious health risks and challenges for public safety.
For more detailed information, you can read the study here.
