TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An extreme heatwave sweeping across Europe for ten days between late June and early July 2025 is estimated to have claimed approximately 2,300 lives. This startling figure was revealed in a recent study released on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, conducted by scientists from five European institutions in the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Switzerland.
Researchers noted that 1,500 of these casualties were directly attributable to climate change, which caused a sharp rise in air temperatures. In several cities, including Madrid, Milan, Athens, and London, temperatures soared by up to 4 degrees Celsius compared to conditions in a world without global warming.
A Deadly Climate Crisis
The researchers highlighted that this heatwave would not have been as dangerous if humans had not massively burned fossil fuels for the past several decades. "Climate change makes heatwaves much hotter and much deadlier," said Ben Clarke, a researcher from Imperial College London, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
The study, which used epidemiological models and historical death data to calculate the impact of high temperatures on mortality, found that even a 2 to 3-degree temperature rise could cause a significant surge in casualties.
As reported by CNN, the majority of the victims were elderly, with 88 percent of heat-related deaths recorded in individuals over 65 years old. However, nearly 200 victims were also aged between 20 and 65.
Pre-existing health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, or respiratory disorders were severely exacerbated by the high temperatures. In Madrid, for instance, 90 percent of the total heat-related deaths were directly linked to the climate crisis.
Europe in Flames
Samantha Burgess from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts added that June 2025 was recorded as the third hottest June in world history. This heatwave was further intensified by record-breaking Mediterranean Sea temperatures.
"In a warming world, heatwaves are likely to become more frequent, more intense and impact more people across Europe," Burgess said as quoted by Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, Friederike Otto, another climatologist from Imperial College London, emphasized the urgent need for cities to adapt by ceasing to burn fossil fuels. "Shifting to renewable energy, building cities that can withstand extreme heat, and protecting the poorest and most vulnerable is absolutely essential," she asserted.
This study only covered 12 cities with a combined population exceeding 30 million, but researchers suspect that the actual casualty count could reach tens of thousands across Europe. This figure also does not account for other regions globally that are beginning to experience intensified extreme weather.
Richard Allan, a climate expert from the University of Reading not involved in the study, commented that these findings add to the growing body of evidence that climate change transforms normal heat into deadly conditions and extreme heat into something unimaginable. "As one part of the globe bakes and burns, another region can suffer intense rainfall and catastrophic flooding," Allan concluded.
Editor's Choice: Europe's Heatwave: A Traveler's Guide to Staying Safe and Cool
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