Overview

• An Imperial College London-led analysis estimates 68% of 24,400 heat deaths from June to August were driven by human-caused warming, equating to roughly 16,500 fatalities.
• The UK recorded about 1,147 heat deaths in the locations studied, with 52 attributed across five West Midlands areas including Dudley, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell, and Telford and Wrekin.
• Modeling indicates climate change raised European summer temperatures by an average of 2.2C and by up to 3.6C during peak months.
• Older adults accounted for the vast majority of deaths, with 85% of excess fatalities among people 65 and over and 41% among those older than 85.
• The figures are preliminary, cover about 30% of Europe’s population, and likely undercount the toll; separate peer-reviewed research estimated around 62,800 heat deaths across Europe in summer 2024.