Brussels: A record-breaking heatwave that gripped Western Europe in the last week of June claimed more than 10,650 lives in just one week, according to official mortality data, raising fresh alarm over the deadly consequences of climate change.
The figures come from EuroMOMO, the European mortality monitoring network supported by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). The report analysed mortality during the week of June 22–28, when countries including France, Spain and the United Kingdom experienced the most intense phase of the heatwave.
According to the report, more than 9,000 of those who died were aged over 65. Scientists say the extreme heat aggravated conditions such as heatstroke, dehydration, cardiovascular disease and respiratory illnesses, leading to a sharp rise in deaths.
Lasse Vestergaard, Chief Physician at Denmark's Statens Serum Institut and head of EuroMOMO, told Reuters that such a high number of deaths was unusual and attributed it to the exceptionally intense heat. The report was compiled using national mortality data from 27 European countries.
EuroMOMO clarified that the figures include all-cause mortality, not just deaths officially attributed to heat. However, researchers noted that there were no major outbreaks such as COVID-19 or any other extraordinary events during the period that could explain the excess deaths. They therefore concluded that the heatwave was the principal driver of the spike in mortality. Scientists also assessed that without global warming, the late-June heatwave that struck Europe would have been highly unlikely to occur.
The heatwave disrupted daily life across the continent as well. Power supply interruptions were reported in France, Spain and the United Kingdom, while numerous schools were forced to close. Several cities also recorded their highest temperatures on record.
Although EuroMOMO did not publish country-wise death figures, it said France and Belgium were the only countries to register "very high excess mortality" during the final week of June. According to Sciensano, Belgium's public health institute, the country recorded its highest number of heatwave-related deaths since records began in 2000.
Meanwhile, another study conducted by Imperial College London, the UK Met Office and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine painted an equally disturbing picture. The study estimated that around 2,700 people died from heat-related causes in England and Wales during the heatwaves in May and June. It further found that 42 per cent of those deaths were linked to the increased severity of the heat caused by global warming.
Together, the EuroMOMO report and the latest scientific findings deliver a stark warning: climate change is no longer a threat of the future but a present-day reality that is already claiming thousands of lives.