Climate change

Study: Climate Change Tripled European Heat Wave Deaths

JUL 9 2025·Updated JUL 17 2025

Story

Above: People use umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun during a heat wave in Athens, Greece, on July 8, 2025. Image credit: Costas Baltas/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Facts

Scientists estimate that climate change tripled heat-related deaths during a European heatwave between June 23 and July 2. Approximately 2,300 people died across 12 major cities, including London, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Barcelona, Athens, Rome, Lisbon, Budapest, Zagreb, Frankfurt, and Sassari.
The New York Times
EuroNews
Independent
According to a World Weather Attribution study published on Wednesday, 1,500 of the estimated 2,300 heat-related deaths (65%) were directly attributable to human-caused climate change, which made temperatures 1 to 4 degrees Celsius hotter than they would have been without warming.
Guardian
Earth.Org
Milan recorded the highest absolute number of climate-attributed deaths, at 317 out of a total of 499 heat fatalities. Meanwhile, Madrid experienced the highest proportion, with 90% of deaths linked to climate change, due to its inland location amplifying the warming effect.
New Scientist
EuroNews
People aged 65 and over accounted for 88% of the excess deaths linked to climate change, highlighting the disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations with underlying health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory problems.
CNN
Earth.Org
The heat wave brought temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in several countries, reaching 46 degrees Celsius in Spain and Portugal. This year saw the warmest June on record for Western Europe, with temperatures 2.81 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average.
Inside Climate News
EuroNews
The death toll from this heat wave exceeded that of other recent climate disasters, surpassing 224 deaths in the 2024 Valencia floods and 243 deaths in the 2021 northwest European floods. Researchers noted that the 12-city study represents only a fraction of total European casualties.
The New York Times
Guardian
Independent

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The Spin

Climate-concerned narrative

This heatwave highlights the deadly reality of climate change that's already killing thousands across Europe. The fossil fuel industry's continued pollution is a death sentence for vulnerable populations, particularly older adults, who make up nearly 90% of victims. Oil and gas corporations must be held financially accountable through taxes and fines to cover the soaring health costs their emissions incur.

Greenpeace International

BusinessGreen News Analysis

Climate-skeptic narrative

The recent European heatwave was primarily caused by natural weather patterns, with global warming playing only a modest role in the extreme temperatures. The more extreme a weather event, the greater the contribution of natural variability versus human-caused warming. The high-pressure ridge system responsible for the heat shows no evidence of being caused by global warming, which cannot be attributed to human activities.

New York Post