Heat-related deaths tripled during heat wave due to climate change, study shows
The heat wave that gripped Western Europe in late June and early July claimed the lives of about 2,300 people in 12 major European cities, a study by Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine revealed on Wednesday. The researchers attribute two-thirds of those deaths to climate change.
Last month was the hottest June in Western Europe since records began, with an average temperature of 20.49 degrees Celsius. The record temperature was mainly due to a recent heat wave that occurred in two parts, one from 17 to 22 June and one from 30 June to 2 July, with temperatures peaking above 40 degrees Celsius in some places.
In Belgium, a new record was set in Uccle for the hottest 1 July ever, with temperatures rising to 35.9 degrees Celsius.
According to calculations by researchers in London, about 2,300 heat-related deaths were recorded during this heat wave. In a world without climate change, there would have been only 800, they say in a new study. In other words, two-thirds or 1,500 deaths can be attributed to climate change.
People over the age of 65 are particularly hard hit by the rising temperatures. Almost nine out of 10 deaths are in this age group. However, this is the expected death toll. Heat is known as the “silent killer” because it is very rarely explicitly mentioned as the cause of death, and official statistics are often only published months later.
The study also shows that climate change can increase the temperature in cities by up to 4 degrees, and the impact of climate change will increase as long as greenhouse gases continue to be emitted.
The 12 cities examined in the study were London, Paris, Frankfurt, Budapest, Zagreb, Athens, Rome, Milan, Sassari, Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon.
Heat wave in Rome, 2 July 2025 © PHOTO TIZIANA FABI / AFP
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