A devastating heatwave that gripped Western Europe late last month is estimated to have caused around 2,300 deaths across 12 major cities, according to a rapid scientific analysis released Wednesday.
Researchers from Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that 1,500 of those deaths were linked to climate change, which intensified the severity of the heat, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Temperatures soared past 40°C (104°F) in parts of Spain, and wildfires raged in France during the 10-day period ending July 2.
“Climate change has made it significantly hotter than it would have been, which in turn makes it a lot more dangerous,” said Dr. Ben Clarke of Imperial College.
The analysis, based on epidemiological models and historical mortality data, covered cities including Barcelona, Madrid, London, and Milan, where temperatures were elevated by as much as 4°C due to climate change.
While most heat-related deaths go unreported officially, scientists used peer-reviewed methods to produce the estimate quickly, warning that Europe remains dangerously unprepared. Last month was Western Europe’s hottest June on record, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, with much of the region experiencing extreme “heat stress.”
Experts warn that as global temperatures continue to rise due to greenhouse gas emissions, deadlier and more frequent heatwaves will increasingly threaten lives across the continent.
