Heat waves are now everyday disasters. Governments need to do more to protect people

Heat waves are now everyday disasters. Governments need to do more to protect people

Heat waves are a growing global threat to human health, well-being and livelihoods. Across 12 major European cities during the summer of 2025, a 10-day period of extreme heat led to 2,300 deaths—1,500 of them were attributed to climate change amplifying temperatures by 1°C–4°C. Heat waves were responsible for nearly half a million global deaths every year from 2000 to 2019.

Heatwaves are now everyday disasters – governments need to do more to protect people

Heatwaves are a growing global threat to human health, wellbeing and livelihoods. Across 12 major European cities during the summer of 2025, a ten-day period of extreme heat led to 2,300 deaths – 1,500 of them were attributed to climate change amplifying temperatures by 1-4°C. Heatwaves were responsible for nearly half a million global deaths every year from from 2000 to 2019. In addition to their health risks, European heatwaves in 2025 contrib…

How do heat waves harm human health?

Heat waves are becoming routine public health disasters Across Europe, extreme heat has been causing widespread harm to health and livelihoods—and the evidence suggests it is not an occasional anomaly. In a reported 10 day period during the summer of 2025, a heat wave affected multiple major…