Climate change is no longer a distant threat — it is our present and our future. Ours, our children’s, and that of every generation to come. With each passing year, its impact grows more severe, more deadly, and more undeniable.
A recent heatwave that swept across Europe proved three times deadlier than the floods in Valencia in 2024 and the catastrophic inundations in northwestern Europe in 2021. This alarming comparison comes from a new rapid-response study conducted by Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Published on Wednesday, the study is the first of its kind to directly link recent deaths in Europe to extreme heat driven by climate change.
According to the findings, around 2,300 people died between June 23 and July 2 in 12 European cities due to the extreme temperatures. Those working outdoors were identified as among the most vulnerable to dangerous heat levels.
In response, countries like Spain and Greece have introduced restrictions on outdoor work during heatwaves. France and some Italian regions have followed suit with similar legislation passed this year.
Yet, even some of the most advanced heat-related regulations in the world are proving insufficient. The situation is only expected to worsen, as climate change fuels increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves.
What this study underscores is a sobering reality: climate change is not merely an environmental issue — it is profoundly political and economic. And the failure to tackle it effectively, as evidenced by preventable deaths from extreme heat, speaks volumes.
It cannot be solved through summits alone, nor through empty declarations and high-profile meetings that yield no action. Drafting plans on paper without the will to confront root causes is no longer an option.
Protecting human life from the effects of climate change demands immediate, robust measures — not tomorrow, not next year, but now. And let’s not kid ourselves: those responsible for perpetuating the very policies that drive and worsen climate change will not be the ones to deliver the solutions we desperately need.
