This week鈥檚 heatwave is the hottest ever recorded in Europe, as well as the most humid, and it is likely to cause thousands of deaths.

Although a potential 鈥渟uper El Ni帽o鈥� is forming in the Pacific Ocean, this didn鈥檛 play a role in the heatwave, a study by the World Weather Attribution network of scientists has found. Instead, global warming is clearly to blame.

The study analysed how likely the average daily maximum temperature projected for 26 to 28 June in western and central Europe would have been in the cooler climates of 1976 and of 2003.

While the weather pattern 鈥� a low-pressure heat dome that is trapping hot air from the south 鈥� isn鈥檛 unusual, the temperatures are. Fifty years ago, a typical June heatwave would have been about 3.5掳C cooler, and the temperatures seen over the next three days would have been a less-than-one-in-10,000-year occurrence.

Daytime temperatures have 44掳C听 (111掳贵) in one French town, and nighttime temperatures have remained above 30掳C (86掳贵) in parts of Spain.

鈥淭his event would not have been possible in June without climate change,鈥� at Imperial College London said at a media briefing on 25 June. 鈥淭he three-day nighttime temperatures would not have been possible at any time of year without climate change.鈥�

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The humidity has also been unprecedented, reaching more than 50 per cent in many British cities. Dew-point temperatures have been in the low 20s, as compared to the single digits during the July 2022 heatwave that set the UK鈥檚 temperature record.

The wet-bulb globe temperature, which measures not just air temperature but also humidity, heat radiation and air movement, has broken or is expected to break records in almost half of European cities, the study found.

Humidity amplifies health risks because it slows evaporation, making sweating less effective. While older people or those who have a chronic illness are in particular danger, so are migrants and people experiencing homelessness.

鈥淲hat we see very clearly鈥� is how unequal the effects of this heatwave are and how that really demonstrates the inequality that widens due to climate change,鈥� said , also at Imperial College London. 鈥淏ecause it鈥檚 of course people who are particularly vulnerable who are most likely to lose their lives.鈥�

While it is too soon to look at excess mortality, a previous study found a smaller heatwave in June and July 2025 killed 2300 people in London and 11 other European cities.

鈥淭he health impacts of this heatwave are likely to be extremely high across large parts of northern and central Europe,鈥� said Keeping.

Heatwaves will become even more intense and frequent unless we rapidly cut fossil fuel emissions, the researchers stressed. And Europe, the fastest warming continent, is not ready, as it has an ageing, urban population living in cities built for a cooler era. In the UK, only 5 per cent of homes have air conditioning.

Besides AC, Europe should invest in passive cooling like building insulation, ventilation, green roofs and walls and trees along streets, they said. It should also expand its heat response to include oft-forgotten groups like people with mental health conditions and those who are pregnant, said Carolina Pereira Marghidan at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre.

鈥淓urope has heat action plans, but research has also shown that sometimes they do not cover all the groups that may be vulnerable,鈥� she said.

Europe experienced its hottest summer on record in 2022 and its second warmest year ever, according to the . The annual report, released today, also reveals that temperatures across Europe are rising at twice the global average, with the continent having experienced 2.2掳C of warming since pre-industrial times.

The figures, which come from multiple data sets including satellite, in situ measurements and numerical weather prediction models, fit into the wider global heating trend, with global data showing that the past eight years have been the warmest on record.

The probability of getting a warmer year, both globally and in Europe, is increasing every year due to rising levels of greenhouse gases, says at the Copernicus Climate Change Service, which compiled the data for the report.

鈥淚f you imagine a deck of cards where the black cards are cooler years and the red ones warmer years, then the global heating effect is like removing black cards from the deck every year and replacing them with red ones,鈥� says Burgess.

No corner of Europe escaped unscathed from the extreme conditions of 2022. In western Europe, peak summer temperatures were as much as 10掳C greater than typical and, for the first time on record, temperatures in the UK reached 40掳C (104掳贵).

Across southern Europe, heatwave conditions resulted in a record number of days with very strong heat stress 鈥� temperatures that feel between 38掳C and 46掳C (100掳F and 115掳贵).

The high temperatures and long sunshine hours resulted in surface ozone concentrations reaching potentially harmful levels across much of Europe. Average sea surface temperatures across Europe鈥檚 seas were the warmest on record in 2022 and about three-quarters of its lakes were warmer than average, says the report.

The unprecedented high temperatures and low rainfall 鈥� 10 per cent less than average 鈥� led to widespread drought, resulting in the second lowest river flow and the second largest wildfire burn area on record for Europe.

Effects on colder areas were also significant. A lack of snow along with the unusually warm summer caused record melting of Alpine glaciers, which lost more than 5 cubic kilometres of ice 鈥� equivalent to dropping in height by 3.5 metres.

It was a similar story in the Arctic, according to the report, with data showing that 2022 was the sixth warmest year on record there and the Svalbard region experienced its warmest summer on record, with some areas seeing temperatures 2.5掳C above average. Meanwhile, exceptional September heatwaves across Greenland resulted in record-breaking ice sheet melt.

For both the Arctic and Europe, atmospheric circulation patterns played a key role in producing the extremes of 2022, with stable high-pressure conditions over western Europe generating warm, dry and sunny conditions. By autumn, a series of 鈥渞ivers鈥� in the atmosphere brought warmth and moisture to Greenland in September.

鈥淭he findings are all consistent with warming of climate due to the heating effect from our emissions of greenhouse gases,鈥� says at the University of Reading, UK. 鈥淟and warms faster than ocean, but this can only explain some of the excessive warming seen in recent years over Europe, compared to other continents.鈥�

Other drivers include Arctic warming and the loss of ice and snow in European mountain regions, which reduces the amount of solar energy reflected back to space, says , director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

An El Ni帽o climate pattern is anticipated to arrive later this year, which is likely to bring extreme global temperatures, but its link with European climate is relatively weak and it won鈥檛 necessarily drive up European temperatures.

Temperatures in the UK have passed 40掳C for the first time, with a provisional record of 40.3掳C set at Coningsby in Lincolnshire this afternoon.

It comes after a of 25.8掳C in Kenley in the London Borough of Croydon, smashing the previous record of 23.9掳C in Brighton in 1990.

A heatwave has blanketed large parts of the country, closing schools, heaping pressure on hospitals and disrupting transport. 女生小视频s say that a UK temperature of , and that every heatwave now has been made more likely and more intense by global warming.

鈥淭hat temperatures are as high as they are is because of human-induced climate change. And we are very certain about this now,鈥� says at Imperial College London.

Europe is sweltering in extreme heat, triggering forest fires across France, Greece, Portugal and Spain. A , with 鈥渄anger鈥� warnings extending as far north as Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK. Thousands of people have been evacuated across Europe, and .

The deadly heat affecting the continent comes as government ministers from more than 40 countries meet in Berlin for annual climate change talks known as the , discussing help for low-income countries and how to cut carbon emissions faster. UN secretary general Ant贸nio Guterres said countries were failing on multilateral climate action. 鈥淲e have a choice. Collective action or collective suicide,鈥� he said in a statement today.

In the UK, in the Scottish Borders, which would be a new record for Scotland. On 18 July, .

Public health authorities encouraged people to stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day and advised against non-essential travel. that their children鈥檚 schools were closed or closing early on Monday and Tuesday, despite the UK government saying there is no public health reason for school closures.

鈥淪evere heatwaves are a problem that鈥檚 not going away, and they will get worse,鈥� says at the University of Reading, UK. 鈥淪o we can no longer tolerate poor design of our buildings and our cities. And we urgently need to think about things like reducing overheating, shading trees, building for cooling and providing these public cooling spaces.鈥�

Sleep is interrupted for many people during heatwaves, says at the University of Oxford. He adds there is evidence that shorter and poorer sleep can trigger existing mental health conditions.

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Millions of Europeans have sweltered in an extreme and unusually early heatwave that has heaped pressure on energy systems, farmers and forests.

Temperature records have fallen around the continent, but particularly in western and central regions of Europe. France reached 40掳C on 16 June 鈥� the earliest point in the year that this temperature has been reached since records began 鈥� and its southern seaside city of French authorities have banned some outdoor events due to the intense heat. The episode has echoes of June 2019 when a similar heatwave was found to have been made at least five times more likely because of climate change.

There were also 听in Switzerland, and .

Parts of Spain exceeded 40掳C over the weekend, with firefighters having to tackle wildfires across several regions. More than 2600 hectares of vegetation in Catalonia were affected by the blazes, .

Germany has also been afflicted by wildfires and . In Italy, that food output was at risk from drought in the north of the country. Parts of the UK were warm enough to see heatwaves officially declared after temperatures .

鈥淭his is quite early for these types of heatwaves, and it has taken a lot of people by surprise,鈥� says at the University of Reading, UK. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very clear that we鈥檙e still not ready for this type of heat. We should be much better prepared, because we鈥檙e expecting this type of thing to get worse [due to climate change].鈥�

Cloke says short-term measures include people adopting strategies to make their homes cooler, because most housing stock in Europe isn鈥檛 suitable for such high temperatures. She lists shades for windows, insulation, dedicating a 鈥渟afe cool room鈥� by shutting doors to keep the heat out, and using water to cool yourself down.

She also backs awareness-raising ideas, such as naming heatwaves like the UK does for storms. Seville in Spain has . 鈥淲e know that it makes people sit up and take notice, because it conveys this sense of danger, it kind of personifies it and makes it real,鈥� says Cloke.

Longer term, Cloke says major changes will be needed to infrastructure to stop roads melting and railways buckling, and shifts will be needed to ensure new houses are built to cope with heat. Moreover, she says much more serious action is needed to curtail the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change. 鈥淲e need to stop burning fossil fuels,鈥� she says.

Europe鈥檚 heatwave is testing energy systems, with France鈥檚 EDF Energy that nuclear power output 鈥� reliant on water for cooling 鈥� will fall as river levels drop. Gas power stations were fired up in Spain to meet a spike in demand for air conditioning amid a period of low power generation from renewables.

The heat in many countries began rising just as climate change negotiations .

Several European airlines have been engaged in wide-ranging lobbying to challenge European Union climate policies, including imminent plans to force them to use more green biofuels, a UK-based think tank has found.

, a think tank that monitors corporate lobbying around climate change, used freedom of information requests and research to draw up its听. It reveals that while the 10 European airlines looked at for this report have received around 鈧�30 billion in government bailouts during the pandemic 鈥� 鈥� most have simultaneously lobbied to delay new proposals to cut aviation emissions.

Air France-KLM, IAG (the parent company of British Airways), Lufthansa and Ryanair 鈥� Europe鈥檚 four biggest airlines by carbon dioxide emissions 鈥� were found in the report to be the most regressive with their stance towards climate policies. InfluenceMap rated their position roughly on a par with the airline trade bodies IATA and Airlines for Europe (A4E). The airline Easyjet was seen as taking a slightly more progressive stance.

, the report鈥檚 author, says the unity of opposition across the sector is 鈥渟tartling鈥� compared to most other sectors, such as energy, where there is usually a more mixed picture.

IATA has labelled the report 鈥渁 gross distortion of the aviation industry鈥檚 genuine and long-standing sustainability efforts鈥�.

According to the report, one of the most significant lobbying targets was repeated attempts by IATA and A4E to persuade the European Commission (EC) to address emissions from international aviation from the mid-2020s through a global carbon offsetting scheme, CORSIA, rather than the EU鈥檚 own carbon market, the ETS.

The EC has that in several respects CORSIA was 鈥渓ess ambitious than the regulation of aviation within the EU ETS鈥�.

Lufthansa responded to the report by stating that 鈥淸o]nly strong and competitive companies are in a position to invest in new technologies and further climate protection measures. In Germany, for example, airlines are burdened threefold by the aviation tax, the ETS and CORSIA, while airlines from Turkey, the Gulf states and Asia operate under completely different environmental and social standards.鈥�

The report highlights further lobbying that opposed EU-wide and national-level taxes on jet fuel, and a counter campaign against the flygskam (flight shame) movement. The research also shows the lobbying has yielded results. In early 2020, according to the new report, IATA called on the EC to work within the UN鈥檚 International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to alter CORSIA because of the pandemic. This eventually came to pass in June 2020.

The InfluenceMap report also shows that airlines lobbied against EC plans to announce a mandate next month on their use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), biofuels made from animal waste and cooking oil. The biofuels are seen as a key short-term way to bring down aviation emissions but are currently estimated at only 0.05 per cent of aviation fuel use in the EU, and even less globally.

Emails obtained by InfluenceMap reveal AirFrance told EC officials in March that the mandate should only happen when 鈥渢he SAF market is mature enough鈥�, warning a mandate risked price spikes due to scarcity of the biofuel. Meanwhile, further emails obtained by InfluenceMap through FOI requests reveal Lufthansa warned the EC in January and February that biofuels obligation could undermine a 鈥渓evel playing field between European and non-European airlines鈥�.

A4E said in a statement that the report fails to reflect the collective actions and investments made by European airlines to address climate change. 鈥淲e are committed to accelerating our carbon emission reductions to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and have a roadmap that provides robust evidence on how we鈥檙e reducing our carbon footprint by 2030 and 2050,鈥� A4E said.

鈥淭he aviation industry is mitigating its climate change impact with a global approach based on new technology, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), better infrastructure, more efficient operations and CORSIA,鈥� IATA said.

Other companies mentioned in the report had not responded to New 女生小视频鈥榮 request for comment at the time of publication.

The revelations come shortly after US airline United that it was buying at least 15 supersonic planes from plane manufacturer Boom Supersonic, which it claimed would be the 鈥渇irst large commercial aircraft to be net-zero carbon from day one鈥� through use of SAF.

However, the move was criticised by non-profit organisations and scientists. 鈥淲e are way behind in developing enough SAF to decarbonise subsonic, and so adding back in supersonic is going to make it even more challenging. It is a very slow process to certify听and deploy such fuels,鈥� says at Brussels-based non-profit Transport & Environment.

SAF doesn鈥檛 reduce CO2 emissions to zero, and supersonic air travel consumes around five times or more fuel than subsonic flight. 鈥淯sing a typical biofuel [on a supersonic plane] will generally emit at least as much CO2 per passenger as a subsonic plane flying on fossil jet fuel,鈥� says at the International Council on Clean Transportation, a US non-profit organisation.

will also increase supersonic planes鈥� climate impact via so-called non-CO2 effects that can cause warming, which include increasing the levels of water vapour higher in the atmosphere, as well as levels of particulates and nitrous oxide produced by engines. at the University of Reading, UK, says the worst non-CO2 effect of supersonic flights will be from water vapour, which could stay around for years rather than days as it does at the height subsonic planes fly.

Countries in the European Union should be legally required to recycle critical metals in electronic waste, a report has found. The proposed law would be unprecedented and could drive countries outside the EU to follow suit, but there are several challenges to overcome to make this recycling work in practice.

The report by the EU-funded argues that making recycling a legal requirement will help EU countries reduce their reliance on imports and protect against future disruption to the supply of critical metals, such as lithium, neodymium and praseodymium, which are essential for manufacturing electronic and electrical equipment. Rates of recycling of critical raw materials in the EU are currently 鈥渃lose to zero鈥� in most cases, finds the report.

In addition to introducing legislation, the report says it will also be important to crack down on illegal e-waste exports from the EU, invest in the development of recycling technology and create financial incentives for companies to recover critical raw materials, for instance by reducing the tax on products made with recycled content.

One factor that could limit the success of any scheme to recycle waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is consumer behaviour, as many people don鈥檛 recycle electronic gadgets such as smartphones and tablets. 鈥淚t is estimated that there are more technology critical metals in household drawers than in Europe鈥檚 largest mines,鈥� says at the University of Leicester, UK.

鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a bottleneck,鈥� says at the WEEE Forum in Belgium, who co-authored the report. 鈥淵ou can improve the recycling technology鈥� but as long as you don鈥檛 collect more e-waste, you鈥檙e not really making much progress.鈥�

鈥淥ne of the key recommendations that we have provided is to also maybe think about new ways, new collection models and new strategies for better [e-waste] collection,鈥� says at the World Resources Forum in Switzerland, also a co-author on the report. 鈥淭his is one of our key recommendations to the European Commission, to overcome this challenge and this bottleneck.鈥�

Better enforcement of existing laws banning the export of e-waste from the EU would also be key to ensuring there is enough e-waste to be recycled, says at the University of Birmingham, UK. 鈥淓nsuring waste stays within the bloc both ensures that wastes are handled responsibly and also ensures feedstock of secondary materials for recycling,鈥� he says.

Even if these challenges in e-waste collection could be overcome, another limiting factor to a recycling scheme would be technology. Recovery technologies are well-established for some materials, such as palladium from printed circuit boards and cobalt from lithium-ion batteries. But for many others, the report says further investment in recycling infrastructure and technology is needed.

鈥淚 think our biggest barrier from what we can foresee to making it an absolute mandatory requirement to recycle all critical materials is actually the limitations of technology,鈥� says at the University of Birmingham鈥檚 law school. She says a new e-waste law would only be feasible in the long term if there were investment in improving recycling technology and infrastructure now.

Despite all the hurdles, if passed, a law mandating the recycling of critical raw materials in the EU could drive countries outside the bloc to adopt similar legislation. 鈥淯K manufacturers need to make their products compatible with EU regulations, otherwise they鈥檙e going to lose the entire market, so there鈥檚 very good commercial reasons why the two will want to align,鈥� says Ahuja.

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