Europe’s Buildings Are Killing 100,000 a Year in Heatwaves—No AC, No Escape

The climate crisis is turning Europe’s summers into a death sentence. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1,300 people died in a single heatwave that began in late June [184686][184634]. In Spain, a record-breaking June heatwave killed at least 1,028 people [186370]. France recorded 1,000 excess deaths during the same period [186007], and an earlier May heatwave killed at least 300 people in the country, most of them over 75 [185598]. Across the continent, the annual death toll now exceeds 100,000, with inequality driving who lives and who dies [186443].

The root cause is not just the heat—it is the buildings. Unlike the United States, where air conditioning is standard, most European homes and offices were designed for cold weather. Thick stone walls and large windows trap heat inside, and installing air conditioning is expensive or banned in historic city centers [186908]. France’s environment minister has said she is “horrified” by the idea of widespread air conditioning use, even as schools and hospitals suffer [184461]. As a result, indoor temperatures become dangerously high, and elderly people and those with health conditions are the most at risk [186908].

Governments have failed to prepare. Despite decades of climate warnings, experts say the continent remains dangerously unprepared [184095]. Human Rights Watch warns that heatwaves become disasters when officials fail to protect children, older people, and people with disabilities [185531]. In Spain’s 2022 heatwave, 98 percent of heat-related deaths were among people 65 and older [185531]. In Madrid’s Tetuán district, a densely populated, low-income neighborhood with almost no trees, residents describe their homes as “hell” during summer [183673]. Trees can lower air temperature by 2°C to 5°C and surface temperature by 10°C to 12°C, but poor neighborhoods lack green space while wealthier areas can afford air conditioning or home renovations [183673].

The heatwave is now moving east. Red alerts have been issued in Hungary, Poland, and Romania, with Budapest expected to reach 40°C [185966]. Slovakia recorded new all-time temperature highs [185966]. Meanwhile, Turkey has already endured 46-47°C with far less public outcry, raising questions about whether preparation is keeping up with reality [185099].

Some cities are planting trees and painting roofs white, but experts say these measures are not enough [186908]. As one urban planner put it: “A city that can only be lived in during summer if you can pay for air conditioning is not a city prepared for climate change” [183673].