London, 23 October. Heat killed 50,391 people in European cities in summer 2026, more than 32,600 of these deaths directly linked to climate change, according to research published in two peer-reviewed articles in the journal Nature Health.
The scientists compared this summer's temperatures in 854 cities in 30 European countries with those expected in a world without climate change and, using scientific data on the link between heat and mortality, modelled the likely number of deaths from early June to the end of August. This is the highest figure in 26 years, well above the totals for the heatwaves of 2022 and 2003. Southern and western Europe were hit hardest, but thousands also died in the north, including Britain; most of the dead were over 85, but more than 800 were aged between 20 and 44.
"I think we can say with reasonable confidence that summer 2026 was probably the worst on record for heat deaths across most of Europe," said Clair Barnes, author of the reports and a researcher at Imperial College London. The summer was the hottest on record in Western Europe: the average temperature was about 2.9 °C above the 1991–2020 norm, and on some days in some countries more than 12 °C higher.
What it means: This is a model estimate rather than a count of death certificates, but according to the scientists it broadly matches figures later published by national health authorities.
Who benefits: There are no beneficiaries. The researchers call on governments to act faster on climate change.
Background: Europe is warming faster than other continents, the study's authors note.
List of sources used: Vlast.kz
Artificial intelligence was used in preparing this material.
