The World Health Organization chief has called for Europe to take steps to combat rising temperatures , both curative and preventative.

“Europe’s heat wave is closing schools and putting people’s health at risk,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on social media., pointing to data showing that European temperatures were among the fastest-rising on the planet, at around double the global average.

“We cannot afford further delay,” he said. “Leaders must prioritize investment in climate-resilient health systems, while also accelerating climate action and mitigating the drivers of the climate crisis.”

Tedros also shared a WHO article offering tips on keeping cool and recognizing the warning signs of medical heat disorders.

Among other things, it warned that at temperatures in excess of 40 Celsius, electric fans became counterproductive and were more likely to warm the body than cool it. It also recommended turning off as many household electrical appliances as possible or practical.

European heat wave is not normal summer weather

A heat wave is baking parts of Europe and residents are trying to find ways to stay cool in the deadly temperatures – Image: Alice Sacco/REUTERS

Human-induced climate change has intensified temperatures, making this year’s record heat wave up to 4 degrees Celsius hotter.

Hot summers aren’t unusual in some European countries, but deadly record-breaking heat that’s causing power outages, forcing school closures and sending people scrambling for relief, is “exceptional,” a new study has found.

Without climate change, parts of Europe would still likely be experiencing a heat wave due to a “typical” weather pattern over the continent. But an analysis by ClimaMeter, a scientific platform for analyzing extreme weather, says global temperature rise linked to the burning of oil, coal and gas, has made it 2 to 4 degrees Celsius (3.6 to 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter, turning it into an “extraordinary” event.

The current heat wave follows a May that saw unprecedented temperatures for spring in Europe.  “This is a clear fingerprint of human-induced climate change,” said Marco Chericoni of the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change in Italy. “It is making European heat waves more intense and more dangerous.”

Extreme heat is often underestimated but is the deadliest form of extreme weather. It kills around half a million people yearly. Experts say the figure is likely much higher because hotter conditions can aggravate pre-existing health issues, like heart disease, but are not recorded as a cause of death.

And as temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in countries like France and Spain, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is warning of “serious health risks” in the coming days. High temperatures are particularly dangerous for the elderly, children, pregnant women, those who are unhoused or have a chronic illness.

“This highlights the human cost of human-induced climate change, and the urgent need to develop fair strategies for responding to life-threatening heat events whilst reducing our emissions,” said Emma Holmberg, who researches the impact of extreme temperatures on health at the University of Bern, Switzerland.

AC units like these are a common sight in countries like Japan, but are rare in parts of Europe that have only recently been experiencing more extreme heat – Image: YUICHI YAMAZAKI/AFP

The link between extreme heat and greenhouse gas emissions

Climate change, which gets worse as humans burn more fossil fuels, is making heat waves around the world both more probable and intense.

A 2025 study in the scientific journal Nature, found emissions from 180 carbon majors, including fossil fuel and cement producers, “substantially contributed” to 213 historical heat waves reported between 2000 and 2023.

Since 1959, some 41 regions worldwide, covering almost a third of the Earth’s land surface, have also now experienced heat waves previously considered “statistically implausible,” according to one 2023 study. Such heat waves are defined as happening less than once in 10,000 years.

At 2C of warming above pre-industrial levels, which describes the climate before large-scale fossil fuel use, historical maximum temperatures of 51C would happen 50 times more often than at 1C warming. Current climate policies have the world on track for a temperature rise of around 2.8 degrees Celsius.

Those heat waves and associated drought will increase water scarcity and make it harder to produce food. It will also increase the number of heat-related deaths. Heat can cause miscarriage, hot nights can reduce sleep and damage the immune and cardiovascular system, and chronic heat stress is dangerous for outdoor laborers.

One study published in Nature found more than a third of heat deaths globally could be attributed to climate change in 2021, while another 2025 study in the journal projected major increases in heat deaths for every degree of global warming, with Europe suffering the most.

“If temperatures like these become the norm in the coming decades, major impacts will be unavoidable,” said Davide Faranda, a climate physicist and coordinator of ClimaMeter, in a statement. “The good news is that we still have agency: rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions can keep today’s extremes from becoming tomorrow’s average summer.”

How can the world’s fastest-warming continent battle extreme temperatures?

Rapid expansion of renewable energy like solar power, as well as  battery storage, improvements to electricity grids and restoration of ecosystems will help to cut carbon emissions.

But countries and their inhabitants will also have to adapt to a hotter world — and quickly. Europe is the fastest warming continent, with ClimaMeter noting that “extreme heat events have already been rising faster” than predicted. In the Mediterranean, future increases in “hot events could be double the predictions,” said the group.

Homes, particularly in Northern Europe, were built for a different, cooler climate, and air conditioning is uncommon. Sales of fans and AC units are currently skyrocketing in a number of countries, as people seek refuge from the heat.

Some experts say AC will be needed to save lives, but critics point out those running on fossil-based energy generate more emissions that continue to warm the planet. Conventional AC units also push heat back outside, increasing street temperatures. Some heat pumps can be reversed to provide cooling as well.

Cities full of concrete, glass, cars, impermeable surfaces and limited green spaces, are hit particularly hard in heat. They can be 10 to 15 degrees Celsius hotter than surrounding rural areas. This is known as the urban heat island effect.

Unsealing pavements, planting more trees and increasing green space can all help bring down temperatures, while access to supervised swimming areas can help cool people off. Improved building designs that increase shade, use surfaces that reflect heat, and make better use of ventilation can also help.

In the meantime, many European cities like Stuttgart in Germany, have developed heat action plans that include practical tips for dealing with extreme heat, locations for residents to cool down, and outlines for heatproofing health systems and hospitals.

DW.com/NAN 25-06-26

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