Extreme heat and worsening inequality could be responsible for more than 100,000 deaths a year in Europe, researchers warn, as a recent heatwave exposed stark disparities in how people cope.
Heatwave reveals two experiences
During the recent brutal heatwave that swept western Europe, an American writer in Paris said the heat was not 'nearly as apocalyptic' as media suggested, relying on shutters and misting. Less than 20km away, Aboubakar, 60, wept as temperatures hit 40C inside his fourth-floor flat. 'I'm suffocating,' he told the Guardian. 'I can't afford a fan. There are no shutters. At night it's like a furnace.'
Julio Díaz Jiménez, a professor at Madrid's Carlos III health institute, said: 'It's common sense. A heatwave is not the same when you're in a shared room with three other people and no air conditioning, as when you're in a villa with access to a pool and air conditioning.'
Record-breaking temperatures across Europe
The most severe heatwave on record affected up to 150 million people from Bordeaux to Budapest, with temperatures exceeding 40C. Parisians slept in parks, Berlin police used water cannon, and Amsterdam households hung curtains outside windows. But not everyone had equal access to such strategies.
In the UK, hotels saw a surge in demand for air-conditioned rooms. In Paris's richest western suburbs, some towns banned outsiders from municipal pools. In Germany, a public swimming lake turned away non-German speakers.
Poverty exacerbates heat exposure
Those in poverty often live in heat-trap homes or concrete-heavy areas with little green space. They rely on crowded, hot buses and work in sectors like agriculture and construction with high heat exposure. Many struggle to access adequate healthcare, leaving them vulnerable to conditions worsened by heat.
As Asad Rehman, chief executive of Friends of the Earth, told the Guardian, the heat 'throws a grenade into every vulnerability you already have.'
Alarming death toll and policy gaps
Research suggests the combination of extreme temperatures and inequality could cause more than 100,000 deaths annually in Europe. The recent heatwave alone led to about 1,000 additional deaths in France between 24 and 27 June, and over 600 deaths in Spain, according to public health agencies.
The leftwing Democracy in Europe Movement 2025, launched by Yanis Varoufakis, posted: 'This heat is not only a climate emergency, but it is also a class war. The rich burn the planet, then buy air conditioning, private pools and second homes while workers are left in overheated flats, unsafe jobs, failed public services and burning cities.'
Europe, the world's fastest-warming continent, remains largely unprepared for extreme heat, with most people left to cope on their own.
