Heat Waves Killed an Estimated 50,000 in European Cities, a Likely Record

Severe heat killed more than 50,000 people in European cities and towns this summer, according to peer-reviewed estimates released by scientists in London on Friday. That is three times as many people as would have died had humankind not warmed the planet by burning oil, gas and coal, the researchers said. Their estimates suggest that this summer’s intense heat was Europe’s deadliest by far this century. The findings, detailed in a pair of studies in the journal Nature Health, are based on a combination of factors that influence heat-related health risks in particular locations, including demographics, socioeconomic indicators and availability of health services. The estimates are not based on official death reports. Governments usually include fatalities from heatstroke but not necessarily those from cardiovascular and respiratory ailments that are exacerbated by extreme temperatures. That means the true death toll of a heat wave is often underreported. Large parts of Europe sweated this summer through a series of heat domes , or sprawling weather systems that allow heat to build for days on end. The extra heat trapped around Earth by greenhouse gas emissions allows temperatures during these events to scale even higher, increasing the risks to health. “Even in a preindustrial climate, for some of these heat waves, we would have expected to see high mortality,” said Clair Barnes, a climate scientist at Imperial College London and lead author of both studies. “But that mortality has been pushed substantially higher by the human-caused warming, primarily from the burning of fossil fuels.” We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in . Want all of The Times? Subscribe .