More than 1,300 deaths in Europe amid heatwave: What can countries do?

Temperatures in Europe have hit a new high this summer, with hotter early-summer heatwaves resulting in illness, excessive deaths and the collapse of infrastructure. On Sunday, temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some regions of the continent, including in Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland, impacting transport services. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list Meanwhile, in France, where 1,000 excess deaths – the number above what would normally be expected – have been reported as a result of the heatwave, storms hit areas of the country after days of temperatures averaging 29.8C (85.6F), but reaching as high as 44C (111.2F) in one town. Overall, 1,300 excess deaths have been reported in Europe since June 21, according to World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. In a post on X, he wrote that Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, heating at twice the global average, and warned that the continent’s infrastructure has not been built to withstand high temperatures. “Driven by climate change and global warming, the phenomenon of the ‘once-in-a-generation’ heatwave is now occurring nearly annual,” he said on Sunday. While it is important to note that some excess deaths may be related to other issues and not directly caused by overheating, experts say heatwaves generally are the cause of more people dying than usual. …