WASHINGTON, 28 June. - (ANA) - New data shows that without climate action, Europe’s largest cities will face longer, hotter heat waves leading to heat-related deaths and increased energy demand.

 

Europe is the world’s fastest warming continent, which is severely impacting cities and leading to tens of thousands of deaths, rising hospitalizations, school closures and people adjusting their lives to avoid inhospitable outdoor conditions. 

 

The oppressive heat is being felt across the continent from cities along the Mediterranean, to cities in Northern European cities, where homes are primarily designed to withstand cold seasons. London, for example, faced a record-breaking temperature of 40 degrees C (104 degrees F) in July 2022, triggering widespread fires and marking the London Fire Brigade’s busiest day since World War II.

 

Europe is currently on a trajectory that could see a rise of approximately 3.1 degrees C (5.6 degrees F) of warming above pre-industrial levels by 2100, unless significant actions are taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according the most recent UN Emissions Gap Report. Temperatures for August, and throughout much of 2024, already exceeded 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) above pre-industrial levels, a threshold that scientists warn will bring more dangerous impacts from climate change.

 

So, what can Europe’s cities expect? New data from World Resources Institute (WRI) finds that at 3 degrees C (5.4 degrees F) of global temperature rise, these cities will likely see longer, more frequent and more intense heat waves, skyrocketing energy demand for air conditioning and increasing heat-related deaths, compared to 1.5 degrees C of global warming.

 

To prepare for more frequent, intense heat waves, European cities and governments will need to invest in early warning systems, climate adaptation plans and resilient infrastructure — especially in low-income areas, which are most vulnerable. Nature-based solutions, like green roofs and urban trees, will also be critical in helping cities prevent some of the worst impacts from excessive heat.  

 

Deadly summer heat waves in Europe have become the norm over the last several years. Studies found that in 2022, intense heat waves led to more than 61,000 deaths across Europe. In 2023, more than 47,000 deaths were related to excessive heat. Accounting for 2024 is not available yet, but the year is on track to be the warmest on record. Temperatures in some European cities this year have soared past 45 degrees C (113 degrees F), putting huge pressure on municipalities to keep vulnerable populations, such as children, the elderly and people with respiratory illnesses and disabilities, safe.

 

As part of a global study, WRI analyzed potential climate hazards for 89 of Europe’s largest cities — currently home to 165 million people, or 22% of the continent’s population — using estimates based on downscaled global climate models for 1.5 degrees C of global warming and 3 degrees C of global warming. These projections do not account for pavement, buildings and other drivers of the urban heat island effect, so the data are almost certainly an underestimate of what cities may experience.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/28 June 2026 - - -