How deadly can a heatwave really be? The answer is far more alarming than many realise.
At least 12,000 excess deaths were recorded across Europe during June’s extreme heat.
An AFP analysis found around 10,000 excess deaths across seven European countries.
Another 2,200 deaths were linked to the heat in England and Wales.
EuroMOMO, which tracks mortality across Europe, estimated more than 14,000 excess deaths in the final week of June alone.
Officials say the numbers remain provisional.
The heatwave shattered temperature records across several countries, highlighting the growing human cost of extreme weather.
Health experts warn this is more than just an unusually hot summer.
Heatwave Sparks Health Emergency
“This is not a natural disaster,” said WHO Europe director Hans Henri P. Kluge.
He argued governments still treat heat “as a weather event rather than a health emergency.”
He stressed that many of these deaths could have been prevented with better preparation.
Researchers say there is little evidence pointing to another major cause.
“There’s no other reasons for excess mortality that we know of than heat — and it’s quite dramatic,” explained epidemiologist Lasse Vestergaard.
As climate change fuels longer and more intense heatwaves, Europe faces a sobering reality.
The hottest days may no longer be the exception—they could become the new normal.
