European governments urged to prioritise climate mitigation and adaptation as heatwaves claim thousands of lives
Countries in western Europe have experienced three heatwaves in as many months, costing lives, disrupting infrastructure and prompting scientists and politicians to urge governments to work harder to transition away from fossil fuels and beef up their adaptation plans.
In parts of May, June and July, temperatures across western Europe soared to up to 40oC (104oF) and are estimated to have caused 7,400 deaths in five countries alone.
The heatwaves also caused school closures, disruption at hospitals, crop failure and ecological loss, the shutting down of transport networks, power outages, and other major challenges.
Teresa Ribera, the European Commission’s executive vice-president for a clean, just and competitive transition – who has chief responsibility for the European Green Deal and EU climate policy – said the heatwaves were a “dramatic warning” and that governments needed to listen to scientists and their own citizens rather than those with “vested interests” in fossil fuels.
“We knew could happen, but we have not been smart enough to address the root causes,” she told The Guardian. “There is still this fierce fight against facts, science, preparedness, and investment [in clean energy], so we are failing people. We need to reject this kind of bullshit based on lies, and against people’s interests.”
Ribera – who was Spain’s environment minister from 2018 to 2024, when the country made a significant shift towards renewable energy – said that “nonsense and ideologically driven lies” had made climate policy appear unpopular and that this threatened the derailment of initiatives such as the European Green Deal.
The deal was launched by the European Commission in 2019 and encompasses a range of policy measures that aim to make the EU carbon neutral by 2025.
Finance ministries will need to re-prioritise sustainability: GGF study
The Future of the Finance Ministry study – published by Global Government Forum and sister title Global Government Finance – is based on interviews with 10 senior leaders from finance ministries around the world.
One of its findings is that finance leaders are increasingly being drawn into complex areas where they have historically lacked operational responsibility, including climate mitigation and adaptation, and that as the effects of climate change become increasingly pronounced, finance ministries will need to be ready to understand and re-prioritise sustainability.
Find out more and download the report
‘Vital’ to adapt buildings and infrastructure to extreme heat
Across Europe, scientists have emphasised that heatwaves are likely to become more frequent and more intense and that governments must prioritise climate adaptation to protect vulnerable people such as babies, the elderly and those with existing health problems.
During the June heatwave, national authorities reported more than 4,700 excess deaths in France, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands – with the total across other countries likely to be higher.
Researchers from Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimate that there were more than 2,700 excess deaths in England and Wales during the May and June heatwaves and that climate change is responsible for about 42% of those deaths.
“It’s time we woke up to the fact that we now live in a country with dangerously hot summers,” said Dr Clair Barnes, research associate in extreme weather and climate change at Imperial College London. “To protect people during future extremes, we must urgently adapt to the reality of the climate we now have, and double down on global efforts to reach net zero emissions to stop this from getting worse.”
Read more: Adaptation efforts should be driven from the centre, climate advisers tell UK government
Dr. Malcolm Mistry, assistant professor in climate and geo-spatial modelling at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, added that it is “vital” that action on adapting homes, workplaces and critical infrastructure to extreme heat “outpaces the health risks”.
In Belgium, where health authorities linked the June heatwave to more than 1,200 excess deaths, the government has faced criticism for failing to protect the public.
Frank Vandenbroucke, the country’s health minister, acknowledged failings, such as with the emergency number 112, which he admitted “did not function properly” during the heatwave.
According to Politico, Vandenbroucke has ordered an evaluation of the response and had asked Belgium’s Risk Management Group to deliver recommendations ahead of a meeting between health ministers last week aimed at strengthening the country’s preparations for the next heatwave.
Read more: Jamaica’s climate resilience plan sets example to other countries, says UN Climate Change
Disconnect between climate science and climate law
Global Government Forum has reported on climate litigation playing an increasing role in governance mechanisms, with courts increasingly being used to force governments to take stronger action on climate change and to protect their citizens from the impacts of heatwaves and other climate-related dangers.
In July 2025, the UN’s International Court of Justice ruled that countries have a legal obligation to tackle climate change, while the governments of countries such as Germany and The Netherlands have been ordered by judges to strengthen their climate plans.
However, Sandra Cassotta, associate professor in international, environmental and energy law at Denmark’s Aalborg University, argues that recent heatwaves demonstrate “that climate science and climate law are still evolving on separate tracks” and that this is slowing climate action.
In an article published by The Conversation, she wrote: “Climate modelling – which simulates Earth’s climate to understand how it is changing – is often disconnected from the climate laws that shape government decisions. And this disconnect is becoming a liability, weakening the legal case for faster climate action and, ultimately, increasing the human costs of climate change.
“If legal systems begin treating each weather record (once it’s been attributed to climate change) as evidence that can be used to enforce targets, then maybe we might see less extreme and deadly heatwaves in the future.”
Read more: Breaking free from fossil fuels is urgent but hard – Colombia shows why
About Mia Hunt
Mia has been editor of globalgovernmentforum.com since 2019. She has 15 years’ experience as a journalist and editor and specialises in writing for civil and public servants worldwide, including covering sustainability policy and related issues. She has led the Global Government Women’s Network since it launched in 2023. Previously, she covered commercial property having been market reports and supplements editor at Property Week and deputy editor at Retail Destination. She graduated from Kingston University London with a first-class honours degree in journalism and was part of the team that produced The River newspaper, which won Publication of the Year at the Guardian Student Media Awards in 2010.
