Extreme Temperatures Kill Over 1,300 Across Europe, WHO Warns
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- A severe heatwave has killed more than 1,300 people across Europe, raising concerns about climate preparedness and infrastructure resilience.
- Record-breaking temperatures across several European countries highlight the growing impact of climate change and the limits of current urban systems.
- Experts urge long-term climate adaptation strategies as Europe faces increasingly frequent and deadly heatwaves.
Jakarta – An extreme heatwave sweeping across Europe has reignited debate over the continent’s readiness to confront accelerating climate change. Beyond the rising death toll, the crisis has also exposed the limited use of air conditioning across many European countries.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1,300 excess deaths have been recorded since June 21, 2026, as a direct result of extreme temperatures. Several countries have also reported all-time high temperature records in recent days.
Germany recorded a peak temperature of 41.7 degrees Celsius, marking a new national high. Poland reached 40.5 degrees Celsius, while the Czech Republic saw temperatures climb to 41.1 degrees Celsius. All three countries broke their previous records over the weekend.
“Heat stress is often referred to as a silent killer, and homes, workplaces, and schools across Europe are not designed for such conditions,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement posted on X.
Amid the crisis, public attention has turned to the relatively low adoption of air conditioning across Europe. Unlike countries such as the United States or Japan, many European homes are traditionally designed to retain heat during winter rather than dissipate it during increasingly hot summers.
In recent years, extreme heatwaves have become more frequent across the continent. Many older buildings are not suited for air conditioning installation, while widespread AC use raises concerns over increased electricity demand and higher emissions, particularly where energy still relies on fossil fuels.
The WHO has warned that Europe is the fastest-warming continent, heating at roughly twice the global average rate. As a result, heatwaves that once occurred once every few decades are now becoming an almost annual phenomenon.
Experts emphasize that long-term solutions cannot rely solely on air conditioning. Urban areas need to expand green spaces, improve heat-resilient building designs, strengthen early warning systems, and accelerate efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the long-term impacts of climate change.
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