Europe’s June Heatwaves Linked to More Than 10,000 Excess Deaths

Europe recorded more than 10,000 excess deaths during the extreme heatwaves that affected much of the continent in June, according to new figures from EuroMOMO, the European mortality monitoring system supported by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization.

The data shows that the overwhelming majority of the additional deaths occurred among people aged 65 and older, with more than 9,000 fatalities recorded in this age group. The heatwaves, which affected western parts of Europe toward the end of June, pushed temperatures to record levels in several countries and were linked to thousands of estimated heat-related deaths.

Researchers from the World Weather Attribution group said the June heat events would have been “virtually impossible” without the impact of human-caused climate change. Scientists concluded that rising global temperatures made the heatwaves more intense and more likely to occur.

The United Kingdom was among the countries heavily affected. A study published on Monday estimated that at least 2,700 people died in England and Wales as a result of heatwaves that struck in May and June.

The research was carried out by experts from Imperial College London, the UK Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who used weather records, climate models and previous studies on heat-related mortality to estimate the impact.

The UK and much of Europe experienced two unusually early heatwaves during the spring and early summer, with temperature records reaching 35.1 degrees Celsius in May and 37.7 degrees Celsius in June in England.

"They were extreme heatwaves for the UK, and for all parts of western Europe, and they’re particularly exceptional for the timing and how early in the year they occurred," said Mark McCarthy from the Met Office’s climate attribution team.

The UK Health Security Agency is expected to release its official assessment of heat-related deaths in the coming weeks, based on registered deaths during the recent periods of extreme temperatures.

The latest study estimated that around 550 people died due to heat between May 21 and 29, while almost 2,200 deaths were linked to the June heatwave between June 18 and 28 in England and Wales.

Researchers emphasized that climate change played a major role in increasing the severity of the events. According to their analysis, peak daytime temperatures were around 3 to 4 degrees Celsius higher than they would likely have been without global warming.

"These models help illustrate the scale of risk associated with extreme heat and the growing threat climate change poses to our wellbeing," said Lea Berrang Ford, head of the UK Health Security Agency’s Centre for Climate and Health Security.

The UK Climate Change Committee has previously warned that the country is not sufficiently prepared for the consequences of climate change. In a report published in May, the committee estimated that 92% of British homes could face overheating risks by 2050.

The body recommended stronger measures, including setting maximum workplace temperature limits and increasing investment in cooling systems for public buildings such as hospitals and schools to better protect people from future extreme heat events.