Study: Climate Change Tripled European Heat Wave Deaths

Published JUL 9 2025·Updated JUL 17 2025

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Above: People use umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun during a heat wave in Athens, Greece, on July 8, 2025. Image credit: Costas Baltas/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Spin

Climate-concerned narrative

This heatwave highlights the deadly reality of climate change that's already killing thousands across Europe. The fossil fuel industry's continued pollution is a death sentence for vulnerable populations, particularly older adults, who make up nearly 90% of victims. Oil and gas corporations must be held financially accountable through taxes and fines to cover the soaring health costs their emissions incur.

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Climate-skeptic narrative

The recent European heatwave was primarily caused by natural weather patterns, with global warming playing only a modest role in the extreme temperatures. The more extreme a weather event, the greater the contribution of natural variability versus human-caused warming. The high-pressure ridge system responsible for the heat shows no evidence of being caused by global warming, which cannot be attributed to human activities.

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