Overview

• A joint analysis by World Weather Attribution, Imperial College London and LSHTM estimates that of roughly 2,300 heatwave deaths from June 23 to July 2, about 1,500 were directly linked to human-caused warming
• Researchers found that global warming increased peak temperatures by up to 4°C above pre-industrial levels, intensifying the event in cities such as London, Paris and Madrid
• The team combined weather data with established epidemiological models to compare observed fatalities against a counterfactual cooler climate scenario, marking the first rapid attribution of deaths to fossil fuel emissions
• More than 1,100 of the excess deaths occurred in people aged 75 or older, underscoring the heightened vulnerability of elderly populations to extreme heat
• Study authors warn that without an accelerated shift from coal, oil and gas to renewable energy and stronger adaptation measures, future heatwaves could become deadlier and overwhelm health systems