Roughly 2,300 people may have died from heat-related causes in 12 European cities during the recent heatwave, which ended last week, according to a rapid scientific analysis published yesterday [1], [2].
The study focused on the 10-day period from June 23 to July 2, during which large parts of western Europe were hit by extreme heat.
Of the estimated 2,300 people who died during that period, 1,500 deaths would not have occurred without climate change, which made the heatwave more intense.
“Climate change has made it significantly hotter than it would have been, which in turn makes it a lot more dangerous, said a researcher from Imperial College.
Milan tops the list with 499 total deaths, followed by Paris (393) and Barcelona (340), while Athens ranks sixth with 175 deaths.
The report covers 12 European cities—including Barcelona, Madrid, London, Milan, and Athens—where researchers say temperatures were 4°C higher than normal due to climate change.
To assess the impact of climate change, scientists simulated the intensity of this episode in a world that had not experienced the mass burning of coal, oil, and gas, using historical weather data.
They concluded that the heatwave “would have been 2 to 4°C less intense” without climate change in 11 of the 12 cities studied.
