Europe's extreme heat would be impossible without climate change, scientists say
Scientists said the event was 200 times more likely than 20 years ago, and nearly half of 854 cities hit or neared record heat-stress levels.
- On Friday, the World Weather Attribution group released a study finding Europe's record-breaking heatwave would have been virtually impossible 50 years ago, concluding human-caused climate change significantly increased the likelihood of these extreme temperatures.
- Europe, the world's fastest-warming continent, faces more frequent heat extremes driven by human-caused climate change; the WWA study confirms fossil fuel emissions are the driving force, making current conditions 200 times more likely today than 20 years ago.
- The study analyzed 850 cities across 30 European countries, finding 45% have broken or expect to hit all-time heat stress records; scientists compared current conditions to extreme heat seen in 1976 and 2003 to measure the rapid temperature shift.
- France has reported 40 drowning deaths as citizens scrambled to cool down, while sweltering 'tropical nights' where temperatures never dip below 20°C have hindered recovery from daytime heat and increased mortality risks.
- Theodore Keeping, a climate scientist at Imperial College London, warned that heatwaves will become more frequent, stating, 'We need to expect them to happen. They're only going to become more frequent in the near term.
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154 Articles
Man-made climate change has led to a rise in temperatures — making the current record heat up to 4 degrees Celsius hotter than “normal” heat waves. Source link: https://www.dw.com/de/die-hitzewelle-in-europa-ist-kein-normales-sommerwetter/a-77708037?maca=de-rss-de-all-1119-rdf Author: Publish date: 2026-06-26 19:09:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked source.
The Old Continent is the fastest warmer in the world. The current heat wave would have been almost impossible 50 years ago, according to a study published on Friday.
The extraordinary heat wave of this week is the worst that has ever hit Western Europe and could not have taken place without the warming of the planet caused by the burning of fossil fuels by humans, states scientists. Europeans, from Spain to the United Kingdom, have faced a suffocating heat this week, with temperatures reaching almost 40 degrees Celsius just before the summer reaching the peak. A new study published on Friday shows that such …
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