Europe’s deadliest summer: Heat killed 50,000 in cities
Part of composite article Record Greenhouse Gas Levels and 50,000 Heat Deaths Show Climate Crisis Is Here View full article →
Extreme heat across Europe in June, July, and August caused about 50,000 deaths in cities, according to a new estimate. This makes summer 2026 the deadliest since the start of the millennium.
Researchers link 65 percent of the deaths to climate change. “Mortality has been driven up sharply by human-caused warming, mainly from the burning of fossil fuels,” said climate scientist Claire Barnes.