June Heatwave Claims Over 12,000 Lives in Europe

Europe experienced a devastating heatwave in June, leading to an estimated 12,000 excess deaths across the continent. The most intense period, between June 22 and 28, saw national health institutes in seven countries, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Luxembourg, report approximately 10,000 additional fatalities. This figure highlights the severe impact of extreme temperatures on public health.

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Summer is not over.

Further contributing to the grim toll, England and Wales registered an estimated 2,200 deaths linked to the heatwave during a slightly extended period from June 18 to 28. Preliminary data from the European Mortality Monitoring platform (EuroMOMO), which tracks excess deaths across 24 countries, indicates a substantial increase of 14,260 additional deaths in the final week of June alone. While these numbers are still provisional and require about four weeks for stabilization, they paint a stark picture of the heatwave's lethality.

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We have the tools to prevent these deaths.

Lasse Vestergaard, an epidemiologist at Denmark's Statens Serum Institut and coordinator for EuroMOMO, noted the dramatic nature of these figures, stating, "As far as we know, there are no other causes for this excess mortality than the heat, and that is quite dramatic." He cautioned, however, that the latest data is still being analyzed. Climate scientists from World Weather Attribution suggest that such an intense June heatwave would have been virtually impossible without the influence of climate change.

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Too many governments still consider heat a weather event, not a health crisis.

Hans Henri Kluge, the WHO's regional director for Europe, issued a stark warning on Thursday: "Summer is not over." He emphasized that "too many governments still consider heat a weather event, not a health crisis" and stressed the availability of tools to prevent such fatalities. Several Central and Eastern European countries, including Slovakia and Hungary, have yet to release their data, suggesting the total death toll may be even higher. The WHO's call to action underscores the urgent need for proactive measures to address the health risks posed by increasingly frequent and severe heatwaves.

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As far as we know, there are no other causes for this excess mortality than the heat, and that is quite dramatic.