Germany reports heat-related deaths this year have surged to 14,000

The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, or C3S, reported that August 2026 was the hottest month ever recorded in history, with the global average surface air temperature reaching 16.96 degrees Celsius, slightly above the previous record of about 16.95 degrees Celsius set in July 2023, and 0.85 degrees Celsius above the August average for the 1991-2020 period. It was also about 1.65 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the 1850-1900 period. The month was also the first since November 2025 that the global monthly average temperature rose more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Meanwhile, Western Europe also experienced its hottest summer on record, as a heatwave that began unusually early and intensely in May pushed the June-August average temperature above the previous record set in 2003. The global average sea surface temperature outside the polar regions, between latitudes 60 degrees south and 60 degrees north, reached 21.07 degrees Celsius in August, the highest level ever recorded for that month, and remained unusually high across much of the tropical Pacific Ocean, where the El Nino phenomenon is intensifying and could become one of the strongest on record in the coming months. Samantha Burgess, head of climate strategy at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, said the figures reflect that climate change is driving extreme weather in both the atmosphere and the oceans, with growing impacts on communities, economies and ecosystems worldwide.

Belgium's public health office reported 2,935 excess deaths above the normal level during three heat waves from June 18 to August 16, representing an excess mortality rate of 22.6%. In the first wave, from June 18 to July 3, there were 2,035 additional deaths, or 48.8% above the expected level, the highest since the analysis of heat wave impacts began in 2000. The other two periods, July 4-17 and July 28-August 16, saw excess deaths of 535 and 365 respectively, with excess mortality rates of 14.8% and 7%. Although those aged 65 and above were the most affected, higher-than-normal deaths were also observed among younger people. This past summer, Europe faced multiple heat waves, while the United Nations weather agency noted that periods of extreme heat are becoming more frequent, intense, and longer-lasting due to climate change.

The Mayor of London's office has released a report saying climate change could cause up to £36 billion, or $50 billion, in damage to London per year by the 2050s, with lost working hours, business disruption, and damage to infrastructure from extreme weather likely to drag down London's gross domestic product. The report recommends that businesses adjust working hours, allow working from home, and relax dress codes, while calling on Transport for London to install air conditioning in new underground trains and find ways to keep trains and platforms cool. The Greater London Authority will prioritise protecting parks, publicising cool spaces, providing more public toilets and drinking water, and increasing shade in public areas. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said climate change is threatening the lives of Londoners and causing hundreds of millions of pounds in economic damage, stressing the need to build cooler homes and buildings, greener and shadier communities, and infrastructure resilient to hotter weather. This summer, five heatwaves and weeks of low rainfall put pressure on the UK's public services, water systems, and infrastructure, while research in July found that the June heatwave caused £1.15 billion in damage to the English economy.