By: Charlotte Ledwidge

European history can be traced by many different landmarks in time: world leaders, conflicts, Eurovision winners, language, and, now, extreme heatwaves. In the 1950s, Europe faced its first major heat wave event, where Stalingrad reached temperatures of 37° Celsius for the first time on record. Since then, the continent has been plagued by heat-related disasters. The 2003 heat wave shocked the world when 14,800 temperature-related deaths were recorded in France alone. Similar events have occurred in 2006, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2022, 2024, and now 2025. This is not just a pattern, but a climate crisis. Europe has consistently experienced scorching summers for over a decade, and the effects of these heat waves are only expected to worsen as we progress into an unstable future.

The entire planet is warming up as the web of the Anthropocene thickens, yet Europe remains the fastest-warming continent in the world. This summer, two main heat wave events targeted Europe, one in mid-June and one occurring between late June and early July. This prolonged heat is caused by a heat dome, a high-pressure system that traps heat over a certain portion of the Earth’s surface, preventing the build-up of cloud coverage and rainfall. Recent research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimates that approximately 24,000 people across 854 European urban areas died from heat-related events across the summer of 2025, 68% of which can be attributed to climate change.

Like most things in nature, the human body can only withstand so much damage before it begins to fail. In recent summers, there has been a pattern of increasing heat stress days, where the body is pushed to its limit. The sheer levels of heat and humidity on these days can cause exhaustion, heat stroke, and now death. A 2024 study published by the journal Sustainable Cities and Society shows that the effects of extreme heat and heat stress days are worst experienced by vulnerable people in society. Due to unequal distribution of social resources and varying degrees of heat wave resistance, people with chronic health conditions, older people, pregnant individuals, disabled people, and often those with a lower educational level, suffer the physiological and psychological effects of extreme heat on a much worse level. Compound heat waves can worsen the effects of cardiovascular and respiratory disease. Similarly, with increasing temperatures comes the threat of increased heart attacks and strokes, as the heart is forced to work harder to keep the body alive. Chronic illnesses such as asthma are also worsened due to the links between increasing heat and increasing ozone pollution.

Coping with extreme heat demands the body to function in ways it might not have had to before. For older people, this is often hard as their bodies lack the heat-adaptive behaviours to do so and struggle to regulate themselves. On the other hand, while young people can often cope with the physiological aspects of heat waves, the psychological impacts are long-lasting. The same 2024 study highlighted how high heat wave exposure in young people has brought about depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress syndrome in our younger generations. Social isolation for all age groups is a major issue during extreme heat waves, and the need for support networks is becoming more prevalent. A degree of heat wave preparation, stockpiling resources, and first aid knowledge is now perceived as standard in many European countries, especially in cities where the urban heat island effect comes into play. Not all people have access to these things, and therefore, there is a need for continent-wide “heat injustice mitigation strategies”.

This summer’s heat waves saw a massive disruption in the daily lives of millions across Europe. A June 2025 article in the Guardian highlighted the experiences of European countries: evacuation orders were established in Greece due to wildfires, Sicily was forced to ban outdoor work during the hottest hours, and all public swimming pools in Marseille became free for residents. In other areas of France, schools were closed, and the Eiffel Tower also shut its doors. These measures hugely impacted the social lives of people but also saw a cessation of income for some workers and disruption to tourist activities. For many European countries, a significant sector of the economy works in tourism, with reliance on seasonal weather patterns attracting people to visit. Due to global warming, there has been decreased snow coverage in the Northern Hemisphere for many winter seasons, and now, with extreme heat in the summer, the face of tourism across Europe could be met with major changes in the future.

The July heatwave of this year extended up to Northern Europe, causing major implications for Scandinavian countries. Norway, Sweden, and Finland were previously protected from these extreme heat events, with their higher latitudes and colder, mild climates. However, this pattern has broken as the 21^st century has progressed. Global warming has put these countries under immense ecological and social stress according to research by the World Weather Attribution: Finland experienced a record 22 consecutive days of temperatures higher than 30° Celsius this summer. The surge in temperatures across Scandinavia this July saw an increase in algal blooms, wildfires, hospital overcrowding, and overheating, as well as at least 60 deaths due to drowning. Fauna across the Scandinavian peninsula also suffered, namely the native reindeer population. These reindeer have never experienced temperatures like this before, or for so long. Some died as a result of the heat, while others ventured into towns and road tunnels in search of shade and protection. These heatwaves are expected to become five times more frequent by 2100 according to current global warming patterns, a major concern for the Scandinavian population whose buildings and resources were not designed to withstand such weather conditions.

All across Europe, the increased heat has meant electricity grids are put under immense stress. As temperatures increase, so does the demand for power, and with increased demand, increased prices follow. Air conditioning units, hospital machinery, and communication devices require electricity to keep people alive during intense heat waves. According to a 2025 report by global energy think tank Ember, the 2025 heatwaves increased daily power demand by up to 14%. This saw an increase in the average daily electricity price by 106% in Poland, 108% in France, and 175% in Germany, according to a report by EMBER. Power outages occurred across the continent as grids overheated and shut down. The cooling of these grids can be heavily reliant on water supply, and in times of heat and drought, this can prove difficult when the demand for power and the demand for drinking water are racing against each other. Several nuclear power plants across France operated under reduced capacity while one, the Golfech plant, was forced to shut completely.

A 2025 study published by Nature Medicine estimates that an additional 2.3 million temperature-related deaths in Europe can be expected by the end of the 21^st century if current warming patterns continue. Global greenhouse gas consumption is now responsible for tens of thousands of deaths each year, to both humans and wildlife. To minimise the number of fatalities, it is essential to convert to renewable, clean, and adaptive systems worldwide that can not only save us but also the planet.