Forgot Your Password?

New to The Nation? Subscribe

Print subscriber? Activate your online access

.nation-small__b{fill:#fff;}

This Heat is Fatal. We Need to Talk About it.

“When people die during heatwaves, there’s no sort of gunshot wound.”

: People protect themselves from the heatwave that affects daily life as high temperatures continue, on June 26, 2026, in Madrid, Spain.

Fifty years ago, the recent deadly heatwave that shattered temperature records across Europe would have been virtually impossible. That’s according to a new scientific study by the nonprofit World Weather Attribution. And they’re not the only ones saying this. “Driven by climate change and global warming, the phenomenon of the ‘once-in-a-generation’ heatwave is now occurring nearly annual[ly],” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization. At least 1,300 people have died, an initial WHO accounting estimated, as France, Germany, and other countries reel from the hottest temperatures on record. 

Now it’s North America’s turn. This weekend, an estimated 250 million people across the eastern half of the US will face a ferocious heatwave, with temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in many places. Then it will be Europe’s turn again, as another surge of extreme heat is projected to hit the continent.

It’s the same story in Asia: China, Japan, and Korea all experienced their hottest summers on record last year. And in May, India was home to 97 of the world’s 100 hottest cities, as temperatures of 45 to 48 degrees Celsius (113 to 118 degrees F), became routine. A report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace highlighted the scale of human suffering, pointing out that “roughly three-quarters of India’s workforce—about 380 million people—labors in heat-exposed sectors, agriculture and construction above all.”

It’s too soon to know how many people will die........

© The Nation