Heat Is Killing Athletes, Crops, and Camels – And No One Is Stopping It

This summer’s extreme heat has caused $20 billion in damage to Europe’s food production, driving up prices for grain and meat [202718]. Consumers should expect higher grocery bills this autumn, and experts warn a price shock similar to the 2022 Ukraine invasion is possible [202718]. Meanwhile, top athletes are struggling to perform and stay healthy. Cyclist Mireia Benito, soccer player Héctor Bellerín, and runner Azucena Díaz say high temperatures are hurting their performance and health [200235]. Bellerín once suffered from rhabdomyolysis after a dehydrated training session and had to stay in the hospital overnight [200235]. The sports industry could lose 14% of its yearly income—over 2 trillion euros—by 2030 due to climate change, yet the current World Cup is the most polluting ever [200235]. “Soccer is hurting itself,” says Bellerín. “One of its biggest sponsors is an oil company” [200235].

In Africa, even the most heat-resistant animals are dying. Herders and experts warn that rising temperatures across Africa are pushing camels, long celebrated as the "ships of the desert," to their limits [202769]. The animals are showing signs of heat stress, drinking more water than usual, yet still losing weight and producing less milk [202769]. Many are dying [202769]. “They are our lifeline,” one herder told the BBC. “If the camels suffer, we suffer” [202769].

In Germany, record temperatures have left tenants struggling to cope inside their own homes [198675]. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced that the country’s building law needs to be amended because current regulations do not require landlords to install heat protection measures such as shades, insulation, or reflective coatings [198675]. Apartments can become dangerously hot during summer heat waves, and tenants have reported sleepless nights and health problems [198675].

In Kashmir, the climate crisis is worsening, but it is being overshadowed by persistent security concerns [202902]. The region’s famous mountains are heating up, and scientists warn the trend will continue [202902]. Rising temperatures threaten glacial melt, water shortages, and agricultural collapse in the Himalayan territory [202902]. Yet local and international focus remains locked on political instability and military tensions [202902]. The result is a slow-moving environmental disaster unfolding largely unnoticed [202902].

Even the most basic cooling technology is failing. Scientists are racing to find a different solution because air conditioning is expensive, uses huge amounts of electricity, and pumps hot air back outside, making cities even hotter [202263]. Traditional AC units cool the air but often leave it sticky and uncomfortable, and when humidity is high, sweat cannot evaporate from our skin, causing the body to overheat quickly [202263].

In Spain, the third heatwave of the summer is expected to bring temperatures locally reaching 44 or 45 degrees Celsius [199294]. This follows a deadly second heatwave in early July, which caused 622 deaths in Spain in just five days [199294]. Across Europe, France’s public health agency provisionally counted 2,025 additional deaths from high temperatures between June 22 and 28 [199294]. Experts warn that these deaths are not always from direct heatstroke, but because heat aggravates existing illnesses [199294].

A scientific assessment has identified the "unequivocal" cause of the heatwave sweeping Europe: climate change, driven by fossil fuel emissions [199294].