10,000 additional deaths in Europe linked to extreme heat

Western Europe experienced an unusually high number of excess deaths, exceeding 10,000, during the extreme heatwave that gripped the region in late June. Data from the EuroMOMO network, supported by the EU's ECDC and the WHO, revealed that over 9,000 of these fatalities were individuals aged 65 and older.

Lasse Vestergaard from Denmark's Statens Serum Institut, where EuroMOMO is based, described the excess mortality as "unusually high" for the season. "It is difficult to explain this high value with anything other than the extreme heat," he told Reuters, emphasizing the direct link between the sweltering temperatures and the surge in deaths. Extreme heat can be fatal by causing heatstroke or exacerbating pre-existing cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, with older adults being particularly vulnerable.

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Such excess mortality at this time of year is unusual. It is really high.

Scientists have strongly linked the late June heatwave to human-induced climate change, stating it would have been "virtually impossible" without it. The EuroMOMO data, compiled from national mortality statistics across 27 European countries for the week of June 22-28, showed no other significant contributing factors like COVID-19 outbreaks to explain the spike to 10,650 deaths. France and Belgium were noted as the only countries experiencing "very high excess mortality" during that week.

Further underscoring the impact, a separate study published on Monday estimated that 2,700 people died from heat-related causes in England and Wales during the May and June heatwaves. Research from Imperial College London indicated that 42 percent of these deaths were directly attributable to the additional heat caused by global warming.

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It is difficult to explain this high value with anything other than the extreme heat.