Scorching European heatwave causes infrastructure and health crisis

The extreme heat that gripped Europe in late June broke records in France and claimed hundreds of lives. Experts say governments need to make urgent infrastructure investments to adapt to climate change.

Scraper SystemJuly 01, 2026, 09:44 AM

Scorching European heatwave causes infrastructure and health crisis

The European continent is grappling with a severe heatwave that struck in the last week of June. Experts are warning that governments should treat this not as a temporary emergency, but a need to permanently adapt infrastructure to climate change.

Consecutive record temperatures

June 24, 2025 was recorded as the hottest day in French history. Thermometers in the western town of Balyo hit 44 degrees Celsius. The heatwave started on the Iberian Peninsula and swept across France, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, before moving into Central Europe and the Balkans.

Al Jazeera's monitoring unit, drawing on data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and the Copernicus Climate Change Service, revealed striking figures. Temperatures in Paris were 16 degrees above the seasonal average, while Barcelona saw a 7-degree rise and Lisbon an 11-degree increase. London reached 35 degrees, 14 degrees above normal. Brussels and Berlin recorded temperatures exceeding 35 degrees, while Rome and Milan saw readings over 36 degrees. Prague and Budapest experienced a 10-degree increase.

Loss of life and impact on daily life

Scientifically, a heatwave is defined when temperatures remain above the seasonal norm for more than three consecutive days. Experts note that high nighttime temperatures prevent the body from cooling down, increasing strain on the heart, lungs, and circulatory system, and raising the risk of death.

Health authorities in France announced that 1,000 people, mostly elderly, died during the peak of the heatwave, a number expected to rise as data is finalized. Elsewhere in European cities, schools were closed, train services were disrupted, hospitals faced increased strain, and there was a surge in demand for water and electricity.

The effects were not limited to human health. In Hungary, the Paks Nuclear Power Plant had to reduce its output because the Danube River, used for cooling water, had warmed up. In Italy, a drop in the Po River's flow allowed saltwater to advance 18 kilometers inland, threatening agricultural areas and wetlands.

Infrastructure gaps and expert warnings

According to Karim al-Jundi, director of the Carbon Energy and Climate Research Institute, European governments are still approaching these heatwaves with a "temporary emergency" mindset and placing the entire burden on individuals. Al-Jundi stressed that the real issue is the northward shift of both the Central European climate and the Mediterranean climate itself. "Countries like France, the UK, Germany, and Austria are not ready for this major shift," he said, noting that the 1,000 deaths during the latest wave in France have not been recorded even in places like Kuwait or Ahvaz, where temperatures reach 55 degrees annually.

The expert said that ventilation, shading, and cooling systems in European countries are extremely inadequate. He added that railway lines are not designed to withstand current temperatures, forcing the cancellation of services to prevent tracks from buckling in extreme heat. The melting of runways at some airports highlighted the severity of the situation. Al-Jundi stated that governments must rapidly upgrade infrastructure and accept heatwaves not as an "emergency" but as a new climate reality.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 489,000 people die globally each year from heatwave-related causes. In 2003, 70,000 deaths were recorded, and in 2022, 62,000. The WHO recommends protecting vulnerable groups such as the elderly, the sick, and children, avoiding going out during midday, drinking plenty of fluids, and taking extra precautions for outdoor workers.

Scorching European heatwave causes infrastructure and health crisis