A historic heat wave sweeping Europe is part of a dangerous weather trend that scientists say can only be explained by human-induced climate change.
The World Weather Attribution (WWA) research group released a report on June 28 stating that the extreme temperatures across much of Europe marked the 'most severe' June heat wave ever recorded in the region. Half a century ago, such an event would have been 'virtually impossible.'
Over the past week, millions of people in France, Italy, Spain, the UK, and elsewhere in Europe have endured scorching heat, with daytime temperatures exceeding 40°C in many areas.
By June 28, the heat wave was moving eastward, threatening Germany and Central Europe with conditions similar to those that have killed dozens in the western continent, overwhelmed health services, and strained economies.
WWA estimated that a similar heat wave occurring in June 1976—when Europe also suffered prolonged high temperatures—would have been about 3.5°C cooler. Compared to the 2003 heat wave, current temperatures are about 2°C higher.
According to the study, intense heat waves are increasing rapidly, even within a single generation. 'Such events are now tens to hundreds of times more likely than in 2003, and virtually impossible just 50 years ago,' the report stated.
'This event would not have occurred in June without climate change,' lead author Theodore Keeping of Imperial College London told reporters.
The Earth has warmed by about 1.4°C since pre-industrial times, mainly due to the burning of coal, oil, and gas. Scientists agree that this is making extreme weather events like heat waves more frequent and intense, and limiting warming is crucial to avoiding the worst impacts.
Among nearly 850 European cities analyzed by WWA, about 45% had broken or were expected to break June records for heat stress.
'The weather pattern itself is not particularly unusual, but the temperatures are—or at least they used to be, if it weren't for human-caused climate change,' said Friederike Otto, co-founder of WWA.
This June heat wave is the second in Europe in 2026. An earlier early-season heat wave in May brought typical midsummer temperatures to central and western Europe.
WWA stressed that phasing out fossil fuels is 'critical if we want to avoid even higher temperatures and their consequences in the future.'
