Around 2,300 people died in 12 European cities during the intense heatwave in late June, according to an analysis by scientists at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, quoted by Reuters, BTA reports.
The study covers the 10-day period up to July 2, when parts of Western Europe were hit by extreme heat. Temperatures exceeded 40°C in Spain and France faced forest fires. Scientists say at least 1,500 of the deaths are due to climate change, which has intensified the heatwave.
“Climate change has made the weather significantly hotter than it would normally be, which in turn makes it much more dangerous“, said Dr Ben Clarke of Imperial College London.
The study covers cities such as Barcelona, Madrid, London and Milan, where climate change has raised temperatures during heatwaves by up to 4°C. The team used epidemiological models and historical data, including cases where high temperatures worsened existing health conditions. Scientists stress that most deaths from heat stress are not officially reported.
According to the European Copernicus service, June 2025 was the third hottest on record globally and the hottest ever recorded in Western Europe. Many regions have been exposed to "very severe heat stress", with temperatures felt above 38°C.
"In a warming world, heatwaves are likely to become more frequent, more intense and affect more people across Europe," warned Samantha Burgess, strategic manager of the Copernicus climate programme.
In 2023, researchers estimated that nearly 61,000 people died from heatwaves in Europe in 2022, suggesting that countries on the continent remain ill-prepared for climate extremes.
Scientists note that the build-up of greenhouse gases, mainly from the burning of fossil fuels, is leading to a sustained increase in the planet's average temperature. This creates conditions in which heatwaves reach ever higher peaks and have severe consequences for public health.