Europe's record summer heat killed over 50,000 people

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 15:33 · Archive

More than 50,000 people died from heat across Europe this summer, with climate change blamed for nearly two-thirds of deaths.

A study published in Nature Health found that 50,391 heat-related deaths occurred across 854 European cities this summer, with 32,619 attributed to warming caused by the burning of coal, oil and gas.

This represents a 71% increase compared to summer 2022, which saw 29,480 deaths. Researchers note the figures are underestimates, as they exclude deaths from a deadly May heat wave and only cover approximately 40 per cent of Europe's population.

About one-third of this summer's deaths occurred between 17 June and 1 July during an intense heat wave when temperatures reached 5.3 degrees Celsius above normal. In some European cities, temperatures climbed as high as 12 degrees Celsius above normal levels.

Lead author Clair Barnes, a climate scientist at Imperial College London, stated that European infrastructure 'is just not designed to cope with the sort of temperatures that we are seeing now because of the effects of human-caused warming'. Study co-author Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, a biostatistician at the same institution, confirmed the severity of the June-July period.

How it is being reported

• Europe's killer heat this summer claims 50,000 lives. Climate change blamed for two-thirds of deathsMore than 50,000 people in Europe died this summer from heat, a record high amount, a new study finds.Clickorlando · 23 Oct, 00:28
• Europe's killer heat this summer claims 50,000 lives. Climate change blamed for two-thirds of deathsMore than 50,000 people in Europe died this summer from heat, a record high amount, a new study finds.News4Jax · 23 Oct, 00:28

In this story: Europe · Imperial College London · Clair Barnes · Garyfallos Konstantinoudis

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