Europe faces record heat waves in 2025

Back-to-back European heatwaves test health systems, energy grids and urban planning while displacement and disease risk rise.

Europe Faces Record Heat Waves in 2025

Two back-to-back heatwaves swept Western Europe from mid-June to early July, pushing temperatures above 40°C and hitting 46°C in parts of Spain and Portugal. The heat fueled wildfires, strained power grids and contributed to hundreds of heat-related deaths. Researchers from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and Copernicus say this pattern fits a warming climate and could recur with greater intensity.

A Grantham Institute analysis found that about 1,500 of 2,300 estimated heat-related deaths in 12 major European cities were linked to extra heat from fossil-fuel emissions. The study compared actual temperatures during the late June heatwave with estimates of temperatures without human-caused climate change and used health models to estimate the toll. The danger fell hardest on people aged 65 and over. An Austrian study found districts with older populations saw around 50% more deaths on very hot days, and researchers caution that the true toll may be higher due to undercounted deaths. Data from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre show thousands displaced by wildfires linked to heat, including 50,000 evacuations in Turkey and 14,000 around Athens, with wildfires disrupting infrastructure in Sardinia. Global figures from 2024 show 45 million people displaced by weather disasters, and projections warn that by 2050, billions may live in countries facing ecological threats. Experts urge cities to expand cooling green spaces, modify buildings to dissipate heat and strengthen heatwave warning systems, especially in hospitals and care homes.

The episodes lay bare heat as a health equity issue. Older residents, outdoor workers and residents of dense, poorly cooled cities face outsized risk, while health systems shoulder new loads from heat-related illnesses. Counting deaths remains a challenge, as many heat-related fatalities are recorded under other causes, obscuring the true impact on communities. These dynamics complicate policy responses that must balance short-term relief with long-term protections.

In the near term, stronger warning systems, hospital preparedness and community care will matter as much as electricity and water supplies. In the longer term, urban design and building codes that promote cooling, plus investments in green infrastructure, could reduce exposure. The data suggest mild-climate regions have lagged in heat resilience, making upcoming hot days a budget and political test for Europe. As heat days rise, the question becomes whether cities can move from reactive firefighting to proactive protection.

Highlights

Heat resilience is a shared duty for health, housing and energy policy alike