Report
Climate change killed 16,500 people in Europe this summer
This is the scientific proof that climate change is not an abstract emergency but a factor already taking a heavy toll on public health.
In Europe, the summer of 2025 will be remembered not only for its record-breaking temperatures but for the staggering number of lives the heat has claimed.
A study led by Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine estimated that 24,400 heat-related deaths occurred during the three summer months. Of those, at least 16,500 would have been avoidable without the global warming caused by human activity. This is the scientific proof that climate change is not an abstract emergency but a factor already taking a heavy toll on public health.
The average temperatures recorded in the 854 cities tracked by the study showed dramatic increases: on average, 2.2 degrees Celsius above historical norms, with peaks of up to 3.6 degrees. This increase is enough to turn cities into deadly heat traps. Rome had 835 excess deaths, Athens 630, Paris 409, Madrid 387, and Bucharest 360. The figures are shocking.
The data for Italy is particularly alarming: 4,597 victims, the highest number in Europe. Spain follows with 2,841, then Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Romania, and Greece. The highest death toll was among the elderly: 85% of the victims were over 65, and more than 40% were over 85. Heat acts as a silent killer: it almost never appears on death certificates as a direct cause, but it worsens pre-existing conditions – cardiac, respiratory and renal – to the point of making them fatal.
The phenomenon is worsened by urban conditions. Cities, covered in concrete and lacking green spaces, have become veritable heat islands: asphalt surfaces and superheated walls raise local temperatures by 4-6 degrees, sometimes even 10 degrees, compared to surrounding rural areas. As a result, city dwellers experience more intense and prolonged heat, with devastating consequences for vulnerable people. The study only focused on the months of June, July, and August, and the urban areas included covered just 30% of the European population. So it is reasonable to conclude that the actual number of victims is much higher. This reality forces us to see the climate crisis for what it is: a matter of life and death.
This data cannot remain confined to a scientific report. It demands an immediate political and social response. We need greener cities with more trees, parks, and natural cooling systems. We need active protection for the most vulnerable people during heat waves. We need public health plans that treat this as the emergency it is. Above all, we need to accelerate the ecological transition. Every year of delay in the process of shifting away from fossil fuels means more victims to add to an already unbearable toll.
The summer that just ended has delivered a cruel warning: climate change is already multiplying the obituaries in our communities. The 16,500 people who would still be alive otherwise are a sign that there is no more time for indifference. Every extra degree translates into new victims. Every moment of political hesitation weighs like a death sentence. If we truly want a livable future, the time to act is now.
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/le-vittime-estive-del-cambiamento-climatico on 2025-09-25