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Washington Post
09-07-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
Heat-related deaths may have tripled during European heat wave
The climate crisis may have nearly tripled heat-related deaths during a record-breaking heat wave that roasted parts of Europe at the end of last month, according to a rapid study published Wednesday, with the study authors warning that such fatalities will only increase as temperatures continue to rise globally. From June 23 to July 2, temperatures soared above 100 degrees across Europe, triggering health alerts, breaking records in Spain, Portugal and England, and forcing the closure of the top floor of the Eiffel Tower in France. Although the actual number of observed deaths during the time period was not yet available, researchers with Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine looked at historical temperature data to determine mortality trends. They found that about 1,500 of 2,300 estimated excess deaths in 12 cities were probably caused by climate change. People age 65 and over accounted for more than 80 percent of the estimated excess deaths due to heat, according to the study. Heat-related mortality has increased by 30 percent in Europe over the past 20 years, according to Copernicus, the Earth observation component of the European Union's space program. Older adults, young children and people with chronic medical conditions are at particularly high risk for heat-related illness and death. 'Even without these rapid attribution studies, it is blindingly obvious from the multiple lines of evidence that when weather conditions generate heatwaves, they are more intense, meaning that moderate heat becomes dangerous and record heat becomes unprecedented,' Richard Allan, a professor of climate science at the University of Reading who was not affiliated with the study, said in a statement. A Post analysis of climate data found that by 2050, more than 5 billion people — probably more than half the planet's population — will be exposed to at least a month of health-threatening extreme heat when outdoors in the sun — up from 4 billion in 2030 and 2 billion at the turn of the century.
ABC News
09-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Over 2,000 dead due to heatwave in Europe, study finds
At least 2,300 people have died of heat-related causes across 12 European cities during the severe heatwave that ended last week, according to a rapid scientific analysis published on Wednesday. The study targeted the 10 days, ending on July 2, during which large parts of Western Europe were hit by extreme heat, with temperatures breaching 40 degrees Celsius in Spain and wildfires breaking out in France. Of the 2,300 people estimated to have died during this period, 1,500 deaths were linked to climate change, which made the heatwave more severe, according to the study conducted by scientists at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "Climate change has made it significantly hotter than it would have been, which in turn makes it a lot more dangerous," said Dr Ben Clarke, a researcher at Imperial College London. The study covered 12 cities including Barcelona, Madrid, London and Milan, where the researchers said climate change had increased heatwave temperatures by up to 4C. The researchers used established epidemiological models and historical mortality data to estimate the death toll, which reflects deaths where heat was the underlying reason for mortality, including if exposure exacerbated pre-existing health conditions. The scientists said they used peer-reviewed methods to quickly produce the estimated death toll, because most heat-related deaths are not officially reported and some governments do not release this data. Last month was the planet's third-hottest June on record, behind the same month in 2024 and 2023, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service said in a monthly bulletin on Wednesday. Western Europe experienced its warmest June on record, with much of the region experiencing "very strong heat stress" — defined by conditions that feel like a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or more, Copernicus said. "In a warming world, heatwaves are likely to become more frequent, more intense and impact more people across Europe," said Samantha Burgess, Copernicus' strategic lead for climate. Researchers from European health institutes reported in 2023 that as many as 61,000 people may have died in Europe's sweltering heatwaves in 2022, according to new research, suggesting countries' heat preparedness efforts are falling fatally short. The build-up of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere — which mostly come from the burning of fossil fuels — means the planet's average temperature has increased over time. This increase in baseline temperatures means that when a heatwave comes, temperatures can surge to higher peaks. Reuters
France 24
09-07-2025
- Health
- France 24
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. - Life and death - 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.
Globe and Mail
09-07-2025
- Health
- Globe and Mail
European heat wave caused 2,300 deaths, scientists estimate
Around 2,300 people died of heat-related causes across 12 European cities during the severe heat wave that ended last week, according to a rapid scientific analysis published on Wednesday. The study targeted the 10 days, ending July 2, during which large parts of Western Europe were hit by extreme heat, with temperatures breaching 40 degrees Celsius (104°F) in Spain and wildfires breaking out in France. Of the 2,300 people estimated to have died during this period, 1,500 deaths were linked to climate change, which made the heat wave more severe, according to the study conducted by scientists at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 'Climate change has made it significantly hotter than it would have been, which in turn makes it a lot more dangerous,' said Dr Ben Clarke, a researcher at Imperial College London. The study covered 12 cities including Barcelona, Madrid, London and Milan, where the researchers said climate change had increased heatwave temperatures by up to 4 degrees Celsius. Heat wave blamed for 42 Toronto emergency room visits, public health says The researchers used established epidemiological models and historical mortality data to estimate the death toll, which reflects deaths where heat was the underlying reason for mortality, including if exposure exacerbated pre-existing health conditions. The scientists said they used peer-reviewed methods to quickly produce the estimated death toll, because most heat-related deaths are not officially reported and some governments do not release this data. Last month was the planet's third-hottest June on record, behind the same month in 2024 and 2023, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service said in a monthly bulletin on Wednesday. Opinion: We need to cool it: In our warming world, we deserve temperature safety Western Europe experienced its warmest June on record, with much of the region experiencing 'very strong heat stress' - defined by conditions that feel like a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or more, Copernicus said. 'In a warming world, heatwaves are likely to become more frequent, more intense and impact more people across Europe,' said Samantha Burgess, Copernicus' strategic lead for climate. Researchers from European health institutes reported in 2023 that as many as 61,000 people may have died in Europe's sweltering heatwaves in 2022, according to new research, suggesting countries' heat preparedness efforts are falling fatally short. The build-up of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere - which mostly come from the burning of fossil fuels - means the planet's average temperature has increased over time. This increase in baseline temperatures means that when a heatwave comes, temperatures can surge to higher peaks.
Times
22-06-2025
- Health
- Times
JK Rowling praises BBC presenter for ‘pregnant women' correction
JK Rowling has praised a BBC presenter who corrected the term 'pregnant people' to 'women' during a live news broadcast in an apparent rejection of gender-neutral language. Martine Croxall was citing a heart-related study about protecting vulnerable people against extreme weather when she appeared to roll her eyes at the phrase. 'London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has released research which says that nearly 600 heat-related deaths are expected in the UK,' she read. 'Malcolm Mistry, who was involved in the research, says that the aged, pregnant people … women … and those with pre-existing health conditions need to take precautions.' The original wording came from the study's authors rather than the BBC, it is understood. Responding to Saturday's incident, Rowling, the gender-critical author, wrote on X: 'I have a new favourite BBC presenter.' The BBC does not have specific guidelines on the use of gender-neutral terms such as 'pregnant people', which has become more frequent in the wake of calls to remove gender from discussions of pregnancy and childbirth. JK Rowling DAVE J HOGAN/GETTY IMAGES The BBC News style guide does, however, encourage 'appropriate language' when reporting on a person's gender, including using whichever gender pronouns are 'preferred by the person in question, unless there are editorial reasons not to do so'. In April, the Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman was based on biological sex. In a previous statement, the BBC said that it was assessing how to implement the ruling into its editorial guidelines. A spokesman said: 'In our news reporting, we always aim to deal with issues fairly and impartially, and this is informed by our editorial guidelines. BBC News are assessing the ruling to consider any updates which might need to be made to the style guide as a result.' The BBC has been approached for comment.
