Climateupdated 49m ago2 min read
Imperial College London Researchers Estimate 50,391 Heat Deaths Across European Cities, Two-Thirds From Climate Change
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More than 50,000 deaths in European cities this summer due to heat. About two-thirds of deaths attributed to human-caused climate change.
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Deadliest summer in cities
Researchers from Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine estimated that more than 50,000 people died from heat in European cities during June, July, and August, and they linked about two-thirds of those heat-related deaths to climate change. The analysis examined 854 urban areas across 30 countries, and it found that the summer of 2026 was “likely to have been the worst on record in terms of heat-related mortality across much of Europe,” according to Clair Barnes.
The study estimated 50,391 heat-related deaths in those cities, and it attributed 32,619 of them to the extra heat from the burning of coal, oil and gas, according to NPR. The research also estimated that about one-third of the deaths occurred during the heatwave recorded between June 17 and July 1, when temperatures averaged 5.3°C above normal, as described by NPR.
Attribution and who dies
Malcolm Mistry said the study’s absolute numbers were “indeed staggering,” and he warned that the more alarming element was “the proportion of these deaths that we attribute to anthropogenic climate change.” Clair Barnes said the share of heat deaths attributable to climate change has risen from about 40% at the start of the century to 65% this summer, and she framed the result as a public health reminder.
The study estimated that people aged 85 and older accounted for roughly half of the estimated deaths, while it also estimated more than 800 excess deaths among people aged between 20 and 44, according to POLITICO.eu. The analysis also described heat as a “silent killer,” noting that “the true burden of heat-related mortality is neither observed nor measured directly,” according to Euronews.
Barcelona, Milan, and stakes
Imperial College London researchers pointed to Barcelona as the second European city with the most deaths from extreme heat during last summer, with up to 1,587 heat-related deaths, and they placed Milan first with up to 1,627. The study also reported that Barcelona’s suffocating heat reached maximums of up to 41 degrees and nights that for a long time approached 30 degrees, and it described the pattern as a continent-wide public health crisis.
Óscar Zurriaga said the data should lead to action by institutions responsible for safeguarding population health and for the fight against emissions that cause global warming, and he spoke in statements to the Science Media Centre Spain. CNN en Español reported that the heat wave analysis came as international leaders prepared to meet in Turkey for the annual UN climate talks, and it quoted Clair Barnes saying, “Until we abandon our reliance on fossil fuels, we will continue to see increasingly hotter and more dangerous summers.”