Climate Change Made European Heatwave Up To 4C Hotter: Study
This likely led to far more heat-related deaths than would have occurred without the influence of global warming, concluded a rapid study of the episode by over a dozen researchers from five European institutions.
Temperatures between late June and early July soared well above 40 degrees Celsius (104F) in many European countries as the first heatwave of the summer broke records and triggered health warnings.
The EU's climate monitor Copernicus on Wednesday said it was the hottest June on record in western Europe, where some schools and tourist sites were shuttered as the mercury soared.
To assess what role climate change played, scientists compared how intense a heatwave would have been in a world that had not warmed due to burning masses of fossil fuels.
Using historical weather data, they concluded the heatwave "would have been 2-4C cooler" without human-induced climate change in all but one of the 12 cities studied.
The added degrees greatly elevated the risk in these cities, which have a combined population of more than 30 million and include major capitals Paris, London and Madrid.
"What that does is it brings certain groups of people into more dangerous territory," said researcher Ben Clarke from Imperial College London, which co-led the study with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
"For some people it's still warm, fine weather. But for now a huge sector of the population, it's more dangerous," he told reporters.
The study, for the first time, also sought to estimate the death toll from the heatwave in the 12 cities studied, and how many could be attributed to climate change.
Based on peer-reviewed scientific methods and established research on heat and mortality, the study concluded the heatwave likely caused about 2,300 deaths between June 23 and July 2 across the 12 cities studied.
But about 1,500, or roughly two thirds, of all these deaths would not have occurred had climate change not pushed temperatures to such dangerous highs, researchers said.
The authors -- from research institutions in the UK, Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland -- stressed this estimate was just a snapshot of the wider heatwave, as no official count was yet available.
Heatwaves are particularly dangerous for the elderly, the sick, young children, outdoor workers, and anyone exposed to high temperatures for prolonged periods without relief.
The effect on health is compounded in cities, where heat is absorbed by paved surfaces and buildings, making urban areas much hotter than their surroundings.
Copernicus said large parts of southern Europe experienced so-called "tropical nights" during the heatwave, when overnight temperatures don't fall low enough to let the body recover.
"An increase in heatwave temperature of just two or four degrees can mean the difference between life and death for thousands of people," said Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, a lecturer at Imperial College London.
"This is why heatwaves are known as silent killers. Most heat-related deaths occur in homes and hospitals out of public view and are rarely reported," he told reporters.
Authorities say it could take weeks to tally a more definitive death toll from the recent heatwave, but similar episodes have claimed tens of thousands of lives in Europe during previous summers.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
4 days ago
- Int'l Business Times
Bull Sharks Linger In Warming Sydney Waters
Bull sharks are lingering off Sydney's beaches for longer periods each year as oceans warm, researchers said Friday, predicting they may one day stay all year. The predators are migratory, swimming north in winter when Sydney's long-term ocean temperatures dip below 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit) to bask in the balmier waters off Queensland. A team of scientists looked at 15 years of acoustic tracking of 92 tagged migratory sharks in an area including Bondi Beach and Sydney Harbour. Records show the sharks now spend an average of 15 days longer off Sydney's coast in summer than they did in 2009, said James Cook University researcher Nicolas Lubitz. "If they're staying longer, it means that people and prey animals have a longer window of overlap with them." Shark attacks are rare in ocean-loving Australia, and most serious bites are from three species: bull sharks, great whites, and tiger sharks, according to a national database. There have been more than 1,200 shark incidents around Australia since 1791, of which over 250 resulted in death. Researchers found an average warming of 0.57C in Bondi for the October-May period between 2006 and 2024, said the study published in the peer-reviewed journal Science of The Total Environment. Over a longer period, remotely sensed summer sea-surface temperatures in the area rose an average 0.67C between 1982 and 2024, they said. "If this trend persists, which it likely will, it just means that these animals are going to spend more and more time towards their seasonal distributional limit, which currently is southern and central New South Wales," Lubitz said. "So it could be that a few decades from now, maybe bull sharks are present year-round in waters off Sydney," he added. "While the chances of a shark bite, and shark bites in Australia in general, remain low, it just means that people have to be more aware of an increased window of bull shark presence in coastal waters off Sydney." Climate change could also change breeding patterns, Lubitz said, with early evidence indicating juvenile sharks were appearing in rivers further south. There was some evidence as well that summer habitats for great whites, which prefer colder waters, were decreasing in northern New South Wales and Queensland, he said. Tagged sharks trigger an alarm when they swim within range of a network of receivers dotted around parts of the Australian coast, giving people real-time warnings on a mobile app of their presence at key locations. Shark attacks are rare in ocean-loving Australia, and most serious bites are from three species: bull sharks, great whites, and tiger sharks, according to a national data base AFP
Local Germany
4 days ago
- Local Germany
What's the difference between German citizenship and residency?
Non-resident visitor This category covers everything from people having a long weekend in Berlin to those exploring the country for up to 90 days to non-resident property owners. Citizens of a number of non-EU countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, benefit from visa-free travel to the Schengen area, meaning that they don't need a short-term visa to visit Germany. However, their stay is limited under the so-called '90-day rule'. This states that you can stay in Germany or the Schengen area for up to 90 days within any 180 days (remember: the 90-day period can be in the form of one long stay or several short stays). READ ALSO: What happens if you overstay your 90-day limit in Germany? If you wish to stay longer than this, you'll need to apply for a longer-term residence permit. Non-EU nationals who don't enjoy visa-free travel to the Schengen area (for example, citizens of India, China and Russia) must apply for a visa for any visit to Germany, even a short holiday. Finally, if you're a citizen of an EU/Schengen-area country, you're not constrained by the 90-day limit, but you'll still need to complete some bureaucratic steps if you decide to move to Germany permanently (more below). Advertisement Regardless of your EU/non-EU status, as a non-resident visitor in Germany, you don't have any legal status or right to stay in the country long term. Visitors from Europe who have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) are entitled to medical treatment that can't wait until you return to your home country. The EHIC provides the same rights to healthcare as people registered with Germany's public healthcare system, including free access to emergency or urgent care, and discounted access to specialist consultations and diagnostic exams. Non-EU visitors also have access to emergency or urgent healthcare treatment in Germany, though any services you use will come at a cost. READ ALSO: Does my German health insurance cover me if I get sick abroad? People sit on a bench near a church in central Frankfurt am Main. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) Residency Having residency means that you're officially allowed to live in Germany. The requirements for becoming a legal resident vary depending on the country that you come from and your personal circumstances. Advertisement For EU nationals: EU nationals benefit from freedom of movement across the EU, which means they can move to Germany to live and work without a residence permit or visa. All you need to enter Germany is a valid ID (passport or identity card). In this case, entering and staying in Germany for up to three months is not subject to further conditions or requirements. EU nationals who move their place of residence to Germany need to register their new address at the registration office. This requirement - colloquially referred to as getting Anmeldung - is the same for German nationals and non-EU residents and must be completed within two weeks of moving into a new address. German authorities may assume that the requirements for freedom of movement and residence for EU citizens have been met, but they can also ask for supporting documents. These might include documents to prove your employment status or which prove you have sufficient financial means to support yourself and your family (including health insurance coverage). If you're seeking employment you may also need to provide evidence that you have been seriously pursuing your job search. For Non-EU nationals: Non-EU nationals have far more hoops to jump through before they can become residents in Germany – the biggest one is securing a residence permit ( Aufenthaltstitel ). The specific residence permit you'll need depends on your personal situation (e.g. whether you're coming to Germany to work, study, retire, or reunite with family.) If you're coming from a country that has a visa-free travel agreement for the Schengen area, then you can apply for your residence permit in Germany after entering the country. You'll need to move quickly though, because you need to apply within 90 days (and gathering all the documents you'll need can take quite a bit of time). If you're coming from a country without a visa-free travel agreement, then you'll need to apply for the residence permit you require with your local German consulate before departing. READ ALSO: 11 words you need to know for your German visa appointment Advertisement The specific requirements can vary depending on the type of residence permit you want, but it's safe to assume you'll need a passport which is valid until the end date of your residence permit, a completed application form, and documents confirming your employment or enrollment at a German university, as well as evidence of your financial security (such as a bank statement). In most cases you'll also need to have your address registration document, proof of health insurance in Germany, identification photos and the application fee. EXPLAINED: How to apply for a residency permit online in Berlin Depending on the residence permit you are issued, you may be granted anywhere from several months to four years of legal residency in Germany. Should your residence permit expire, you'll need to apply for a new one (or to renew the same permit). After five years of legal residency in Germany, you may be able to apply for permanent residency. The obvious advantage here is that this option comes with no expiry date, but you'll need to meet certain requirements, which in most cases include; financial self-sufficiency, 60 months of pension contributions, and B1 German language skills. READ ALSO: Who can get permanent residency the fastest under Germany's skilled worker law? While EU citizens living in Germany have the right to vote in municipal and European elections (but not national ones), non-EU residents have no voting rights. Citizenship Naturalising as German is the ultimate guarantee of your rights in Germany. As a German citizen, you'll have the same rights as people holding citizenship from birth, and enjoy greater security than residency permit holders. Similar to permanent residency, citizenship doesn't expire and is very hard to lose. But it also confers rights non-citizens don't have. As of June 27th, 2024, Germany allows dual-citizenship , meaning that you don't need to forfeit citizenship to your home country should you choose to naturalise as German. That is, unless your home country has its own rules against it. These include full voting rights, encompassing municipal, national and EU elections. Having a German passport will also allow you to move around and work in the EU without limitations - from Brussels to Barcelona. A German passport on public transport. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Christoph Schmidt For non-EU German residents who can only spend 90 days out of every 180 in another EU country under the 90-day rule, it presents a massive potential benefit. EXPLAINED: How German citizenship differs from permanent residency Though there are plenty of advantages to becoming a German national over remaining a foreign resident indefinitely, claiming citizenship can be far from easy. There are three main routes to acquiring citizenship: ancestry, residency and marriage. In most cases to gain German citizenship through ancestry, your parents need to have been German citizens, but the rules get a bit complicated depending on the year you were born, and if your parents were married or unmarried. EXPLAINED: Who is entitled to German citizenship by descent and how to apply for it You can find an explanation of the rules around gaining citizenship through marriage here . Advertisement Otherwise, you may qualify for citizenship if you've legally lived in Germany for at least five years, have B1 German language skills, are financially secure and can pass the German citizenship test. Of course, you'll also need quite a bit of patience for dealing with the bureaucracy and long waits while application is processed. You can find plenty more information about that here . CHEACKLIST: What do I need to apply for German citizenship under the new law? With reporting by The Local team.
Local Germany
5 days ago
- Local Germany
Climate change made European heatwave up to 4C hotter: study
The high temperatures probably led to more heat-related deaths than would have occurred without the influence of global warming, concluded a rapid study of the episode by over a dozen researchers from five European institutions. Temperatures between late June and early July soared well above 40C in many European countries as the first heatwave of the summer broke records and triggered health warnings. The EU's climate monitor Copernicus said on Wednesday that June 2025 was the hottest on record in western Europe, where some schools and tourist sites were shuttered as the mercury soared. To assess what role climate change played, scientists compared how intense a heatwave would have been in a world that had not warmed due to burning masses of fossil fuels. Using historical weather data, they concluded the heatwave 'would have been 2 to 4C cooler' without human-induced climate change in all but one of the 12 cities studied. The added degrees greatly elevated the risk in these cities, which have a combined population of more than 30 million and include major capitals Paris, London and Madrid. 'What that does is it brings certain groups of people into more dangerous territory,' said researcher Ben Clarke, from Imperial College London, which co-led the study with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 'For some people it's still warm, fine weather. But for now a huge sector of the population, it's more dangerous.' The study, for the first time, also sought to estimate the death toll from the heatwave in the 12 cities studied, and how many could be attributed to climate change. Based on peer-reviewed scientific methods and established research on heat and mortality, the study concluded the heatwave likely caused about 2,300 deaths between June 23rd and July 2nd across the 12 cities studied. Advertisement An estimated 1,500, or roughly two thirds, of these deaths would not have occurred had climate change not pushed temperatures to such dangerous highs, researchers said. The authors, from research institutions in the UK, Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland, stressed this estimate was just a snapshot of the wider heatwave, as no official count was yet available. Heatwaves are particularly dangerous for the elderly, the sick, young children, outdoor workers, and anyone exposed to high temperatures for prolonged periods without relief. The effect on health is compounded in cities, where heat is absorbed by paved surfaces and buildings, making urban areas hotter than their surroundings. Copernicus said large parts of southern Europe experienced so-called 'tropical nights' during the heatwave, when overnight temperatures don't fall low enough to let the body recover. 'An increase in heatwave temperature of just two or four degrees can mean the difference between life and death for thousands of people,' said Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, a lecturer at Imperial College London. Advertisement 'This is why heatwaves are known as silent killers. Most heat-related deaths occur in homes and hospitals out of public view and are rarely reported,' he told reporters. Authorities say it could take weeks to tally a more definitive death toll from the recent heatwave, but similar episodes have claimed tens of thousands of lives in Europe during previous summers.
