Within the space of days, three continents were living through different scenes of extreme weather. In Europe, data and studies published in recent days laid bare the scale of the health toll exacted by the latest heatwaves.
In the American city of Philadelphia, authorities declared a state of emergency after violent thunderstorms caused widespread damage, while in northern China, floods that followed Typhoon Bavi isolated villages, halted trains, and forced schools to close.
The scenes differ in their details, but together they reflect the widening reach of extreme weather events striking scattered parts of the world at roughly the same time.
Europe was first to reveal the full health cost of this summer. In Germany, a survey conducted by health insurer DAK-Gesundheit and carried out by the Forsa Institute found that about one third of the population had already experienced health problems caused by the heat — the highest proportion recorded since the report was launched in 2022.
Fatigue, exhaustion, and sleep disorders topped the list of symptoms, with women the most affected. Some 5% of respondents said they had consulted a doctor for heat-related symptoms, while three quarters felt that current protective measures were no longer adequate.
The effects of heat do not stop at physical exhaustion. A study published in the journal Nature Health concluded that heatwaves are associated with increased hospital visits for psychological and behavioural disorders. Researchers from Monash University in Australia suggested that exposure to high temperatures may increase the secretion of stress hormones, thereby raising anxiety levels.
Mortality data reflect the scale of these consequences across the continent. The EuroMOMO network, backed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization, recorded more than 10,650 excess deaths across 27 European countries during the week in which the heatwave peaked in late June, with more than 9,000 of those deaths occurring among people aged over 65.
Dr Lasse Vestergaard of the Statens Serum Institut in Denmark told Reuters that this rise was unusual for this time of year, suggesting that the intense heat was the principal cause.
In Britain, researchers from Imperial College London, working with the UK Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, estimated that the heatwaves in May and June were associated with more than 2,700 deaths. Mark McCarthy of the Met Office described the two events as