A recent rapid scientific analysis indicates that approximately 2,300 people died across 12 European cities during a severe heatwave that concluded on July 2. Researchers from Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine suggest that 1,500 of these deaths are directly linked to the impact of climate change, which intensified the heatwave, making it more potent and dangerous, Reuters reports.
Temperatures during this period soared above 40°C in Spain, leading to extensive wildfires in France. The study encompassed cities such as Barcelona, Madrid, London, and Milan, where the heatwave was exacerbated by up to 4°C due to climate change.
According to the EU’s Copernicus climate service, last month was the third hottest June on record globally, while Western Europe experienced its hottest June ever.
