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Toronto Sun
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Toronto Sun
Burning of fossil fuels caused 1,500 deaths in recent European heat wave, study estimates
Published Jul 09, 2025 • 4 minute read A tourist drinks water on a hot day at the beach in Barcelona, Spain, July 2, 2025. Photo by Emilio Morenatti, File / AP Photo WASHINGTON — Human-caused climate change is responsible for killing about 1,500 people in last week's European heat wave, a first-of-its-kind rapid study found. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. 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Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Those 1,500 people 'have only died because of climate change, so they would not have died if it would not have been for our burning of oil, coal and gas in the last century,' said study co-author Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College in London. Scientists at Imperial and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine used peer-reviewed techniques to calculate that about 2,300 people in 12 cities likely died from the heat in last week's bout of high temperatures, with nearly two-thirds of them dying because of the extra degrees that climate change added to the natural summer warmth. Past rapid attribution studies have not gone beyond evaluating climate change's role in meteorological effects such as extra heat, flooding or drought. This study goes a step further in directly connecting coal, oil and natural gas use to people dying. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Heat waves are silent killers and their health impact is very hard to measure,″ said co-author Gary Konstantinoudis, a biostatistician at Imperial College. 'People do not understand the actual mortality toll of heat waves and this is because (doctors, hospitals and governments) do not report heat as an underlying cause of death' and instead attribute it to heart or lung or other organ problems. Of the 1,500 deaths attributed to climate change, the study found more than 1,100 were people 75 or older. Climate change made a heat wave hotter 'It's summer, so it's sometimes hot,' study lead author Ben Clarke of Imperial College said in a Tuesday news conference. 'The influence of climate change has pushed it up by several degrees and what that does is it brings certain groups of people more into dangerous territory and that's what's important. That's what we really want to highlight here. For some people it's still warm fine weather but for now a huge sector of the population it's more dangerous.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Researchers looked at June 23 to July 2 in London; Paris; Frankfurt, Germany; Budapest, Hungary; Zagreb, Croatia; Athens, Greece; Barcelona, Spain; Madrid; Lisbon, Portugal; Rome; Milan and Sassari, Italy. They found that except in Lisbon, the extra warmth from greenhouse gases added 2 to 4 degrees Celsius (3.6 to 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) to what would have been a more natural heat wave. London got the most at nearly 4 degrees (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit). Climate change only added about a degree to Lisbon's peak temperature, the study calculated, mostly because of the Atlantic Ocean's moderating effect, Otto said. That extra climate-change-caused heat added the most extra deaths in Milan, Barcelona and Paris and the least in Sassari, Frankfort and Lisbon, the study found. The 1,500 figure is the middle of the range of overall climate-related death estimates that go from about 1,250 to around 1,700. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Wednesday's study is not yet peer-reviewed. It is an extension of work done by an international team of scientists who do rapid attribution studies to search for global warming's fingerprints in the growing number of extreme weather events worldwide, and combine that with long-established epidemiological research that examines death trends that differ from what's considered normal. Researchers compared what the thermometers read last week to what computer simulations say would have happened in a world without planet-warming greenhouse gases from fossil fuel use. Health researchers then compared estimates — there are no solid figures yet _ for heat deaths in what just happened to what heat deaths would be expected for each city without those extra degrees of warmth. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. There are long-established formulas that calculate excess deaths differing from normal based on location, demographics, temperatures and other factors and those are used, Otto and Konstantinoudis said. And health researchers take into account many variables like smoking and chronic diseases, so it's comparing similar people except for temperature so they know that's what's to blame, Konstantinoudis said. Read More Studies in 2021 generally linked excess heat deaths to human-caused climate change and carbon emissions, but not specific events like last week's hot spell. A 2023 study in Nature Medicine estimated that since 2015, for every degree Celsius the temperature rises in Europe, there's an extra 18,547 summer heat deaths. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Studies like Wednesday's are 'ending the guessing game on the health harms from continued burning of fossil fuels,' said Dr. Jonathan Patz, director of the Center for Health, Energy and Environmental Research at the University of Wisconsin. He was not part of the research but said it 'combined the most up-to-date climate and health methods and found that every fraction of a degree of warming matters regarding extreme heat waves.' Dr. Courtney Howard, a Canadian emergency room physician and chair of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, said, 'Studies like this help us see that reducing fossil fuel use is health care.' Uncategorized Sunshine Girls Columnists NHL Crime
CTV News
01-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Barcelona records the hottest June in over 100 years as a heat wave grips Europe
Young swimmers jump into the water from a rock on a breakwater on a hot day in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) PARIS — Barcelona recorded its hottest month of June since records started over a century ago, Spain's national weather service said on Tuesday as Europe remained in the grip of the first major heat wave this summer. The Fabra Observatory, located on a hill overlooking Barcelona, reported an average temperature of 26 degrees Celsius (78 degrees Fahrenheit), breaking records since 1914. The previous hottest average for June was 25.6 C in 2003. The same weather station said that a single-day high of 37.9 C (100 F) for June was recorded Monday, June 30. Barcelona is usually spared the worst heat in Spain, thanks to its location between hills and the Mediterranean in Spain's northeastern corner. But most of the country has been gripped by the first heat wave of the year. Health warnings were in effect Tuesday in several European Union countries even as conditions began to improve in some parts of the region. Punishing temperatures were forecast to reach 40 C (104 F) in Paris and to stay unusually high in Belgium and the Netherlands. In contrast, temperatures were falling in Portugal, where no red heat warnings were issued. Spain saw a new high mark for June established on Saturday when 46 C (114F) was recorded in the southern province of Huelva, while Sunday's national average of 28 C (82F) set a record for a high temperature for June 29 since records were started in 1950. 'We are seeing these temperatures because we are experiencing a very intense heat wave that has come early in the summer and that is clearly linked to global warming,' Ramón Pascual, the regional delegate for Spain's weather service in Barcelona, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. France suffocates In France, the national weather agency Météo-France placed several departments under the highest red alert, with the Paris region particularly hard hit. The heat wave, defined as consecutive days of very high temperature, is expected to intensify Tuesday with more than 1,300 schools set to be partially or fully closed, the Education Ministry said. Visitors to the Eiffel Tower without tickets were told to postpone their visits as the summit of the city's landmark was closed until Thursday. Météo-France also warned of the heightened risk of wildfires due to the drought-stricken soil, compounded by a lack of rain in June and the recent surge in temperature. Climate experts warn that future summers are likely to be hotter than any recorded to date. By 2100, France could be up to 4 C (39 F) warmer, with temperatures exceeding 40 C expected every year and extreme heat spikes potentially reaching 50 C (122 F). According to Météo-France, the country may face a tenfold increase in the number of heat wave days by 2100. Man dies in Italy Farther south, 17 of Italy's 27 major cities were experiencing a heat wave, according to the Health Ministry. There were torrential rains in Italy's north on Monday and parts of Bardonecchia near Turin were covered in sludge after the Frejus river burst its banks. Near Bologna, one of the cities under a heat alert Tuesday, the 46-year-old owner of a construction company collapsed and died while repaving a school parking lot, state-run RAI reported. An autopsy was being conducted to determine the cause, but heat was suspected. The CGIL labor union said the death of the man, whom it identified as Ait El Hajjam Brahim, owner of Veneto Pavimenti SAS, showed the need for improved measures to protect construction workers from heat exposure. The Netherlands sweating An annual event in Amsterdam to commemorate the end of slavery in former Dutch colonies was moved forward to avoid the hottest part of the day and in the northern city of Groningen, organizers of an outdoor concert featuring veteran rocker Neil Young also took measures, including adding extra drinking water taps and providing free sunblock. The national weather institute issued an alert for extreme temperatures and smog in parts of the country and warned the eastern Netherlands that severe thunderstorms could break out on Wednesday as the hot weather ends. Portugal improving In Portugal, Lisbon was forecast to reach 33 C (91 F), typical for this time of the year, though some inland areas could still see peaks of 43 C (109 F), according to the national weather agency. June temperature records were broken in two locations in Portugal on June 29. The Portuguese weather service issued a statement Monday night confirming the highest single temperature ever recorded in mainland Portugal for the month of June at 46.6 C on June 29 in the town of Mora, west of Lisbon. The prior record was 44.9 C in 2017. Wilson reported from Barcelona. Jill Lawless in London, Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, Mike Corder in The Netherlands and David Biller in Rome contributed to this report. Samuel Petrequin And Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press
Glasgow Times
30-06-2025
- Climate
- Glasgow Times
Severe heatwave hits southern Europe and raises wildfire risks
Experts link the rising frequency and intensity of these heatwaves to climate change, warning that such extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common across Europe's southern region. Severe heat was recorded in Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal before the weekend, with locals and tourists alike taking shelter from the sweltering conditions. Two-thirds of Portugal were on high alert on Sunday over extreme heat and wildfires, with temperatures expected to top 42C in Lisbon. Spain experienced extreme heat (AP) In Italy, a few regions – Lazio, Tuscany, Calabria, Puglia and Umbria – were planning to ban some outdoor work activities during the hottest hours of the day in response to the record high temperatures. Italian trade unions pushed the government to expand such measures at a national level. On Sunday, the Italian health ministry placed 21 out of 27 monitored cities under its highest heat alert, including top holiday destinations like Rome, Milan and Naples. In Rome, tourists tried to seek shade near popular spots like the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain, using umbrellas and drinking from public water fountains to stay cool. Germany also saw high temperatures (dpa via AP) Similar scenes were reported in Milan and Naples, where street vendors sold lemonade to tourists and residents to offer some refreshment from the heat. Greece was again on high wildfire alert because of extreme weather, with the first summer heat wave expected to continue throughout the weekend. A large wildfire broke out south of Athens on Thursday, forcing evacuations and road closures near the ancient Temple of Poseidon. Strong winds spread the flames, damaging homes and sending smoke across the sky. Vulnerable people have been warned to take extra care in the heat (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Experts warned that intense heat can affect daily life, especially for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and children. Local authorities advised against physical activity during the hottest hours of the day, and recommended drinking plenty of fluids. A Lancet Public Health study published last year highlighted the increasing risk of heat-related deaths because of climate change. The study predicted that heat-related deaths could more than quadruple by mid-century under current climate policies. While more people die from cold than heat, the study stressed that rising temperatures will offset the benefits of milder winters, leading to a significant net increase in heat-related mortality.
Sunday World
30-06-2025
- Climate
- Sunday World
Severe heatwave hits southern Europe and raises wildfire risks
Young swimmers jump into the water from a rock on a breakwater on a hot day in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Major heatwaves across southern Europe have pushed temperatures above 40C in countries including Italy, Spain and Greece, as local authorities issued fresh warnings over the risk of wildfires. Experts link the rising frequency and intensity of these heatwaves to climate change, warning that such extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common across Europe's southern region. Severe heat was recorded in Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal before the weekend, with locals and tourists alike taking shelter from the sweltering conditions. Two-thirds of Portugal were on high alert on Sunday over extreme heat and wildfires, with temperatures expected to top 42C in Lisbon. Young swimmers jump into the water from a rock on a breakwater on a hot day in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Today's News in 90 Seconds - June 30th In Italy, a few regions – Lazio, Tuscany, Calabria, Puglia and Umbria – were planning to ban some outdoor work activities during the hottest hours of the day in response to the record high temperatures. Italian trade unions pushed the government to expand such measures at a national level. On Sunday, the Italian health ministry placed 21 out of 27 monitored cities under its highest heat alert, including top holiday destinations like Rome, Milan and Naples. In Rome, tourists tried to seek shade near popular spots like the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain, using umbrellas and drinking from public water fountains to stay cool. Germany also saw high temperatures (dpa via AP) Similar scenes were reported in Milan and Naples, where street vendors sold lemonade to tourists and residents to offer some refreshment from the heat. Greece was again on high wildfire alert because of extreme weather, with the first summer heat wave expected to continue throughout the weekend. A large wildfire broke out south of Athens on Thursday, forcing evacuations and road closures near the ancient Temple of Poseidon. Strong winds spread the flames, damaging homes and sending smoke across the sky. Vulnerable people have been warned to take extra care in the heat (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Experts warned that intense heat can affect daily life, especially for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and children. Local authorities advised against physical activity during the hottest hours of the day, and recommended drinking plenty of fluids. A Lancet Public Health study published last year highlighted the increasing risk of heat-related deaths because of climate change. The study predicted that heat-related deaths could more than quadruple by mid-century under current climate policies. While more people die from cold than heat, the study stressed that rising temperatures will offset the benefits of milder winters, leading to a significant net increase in heat-related mortality.
South Wales Argus
30-06-2025
- Climate
- South Wales Argus
Severe heatwave hits southern Europe and raises wildfire risks
Experts link the rising frequency and intensity of these heatwaves to climate change, warning that such extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common across Europe's southern region. Severe heat was recorded in Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal before the weekend, with locals and tourists alike taking shelter from the sweltering conditions. Two-thirds of Portugal were on high alert on Sunday over extreme heat and wildfires, with temperatures expected to top 42C in Lisbon. Spain experienced extreme heat (AP) In Italy, a few regions – Lazio, Tuscany, Calabria, Puglia and Umbria – were planning to ban some outdoor work activities during the hottest hours of the day in response to the record high temperatures. Italian trade unions pushed the government to expand such measures at a national level. On Sunday, the Italian health ministry placed 21 out of 27 monitored cities under its highest heat alert, including top holiday destinations like Rome, Milan and Naples. In Rome, tourists tried to seek shade near popular spots like the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain, using umbrellas and drinking from public water fountains to stay cool. Germany also saw high temperatures (dpa via AP) Similar scenes were reported in Milan and Naples, where street vendors sold lemonade to tourists and residents to offer some refreshment from the heat. Greece was again on high wildfire alert because of extreme weather, with the first summer heat wave expected to continue throughout the weekend. A large wildfire broke out south of Athens on Thursday, forcing evacuations and road closures near the ancient Temple of Poseidon. Strong winds spread the flames, damaging homes and sending smoke across the sky. Vulnerable people have been warned to take extra care in the heat (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Experts warned that intense heat can affect daily life, especially for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and children. Local authorities advised against physical activity during the hottest hours of the day, and recommended drinking plenty of fluids. A Lancet Public Health study published last year highlighted the increasing risk of heat-related deaths because of climate change. The study predicted that heat-related deaths could more than quadruple by mid-century under current climate policies. While more people die from cold than heat, the study stressed that rising temperatures will offset the benefits of milder winters, leading to a significant net increase in heat-related mortality.
