As global temperatures continue to rise, extreme heat is becoming an increasingly deadly consequence of a warming planet. This past summer, Europe endured soaring temperatures and multiple heatwaves . Now, a new analysis offers a shocking estimate of the season’s toll on human life.

Scientists estimate that the heat killed more than 50,000 people across 854 European cities this summer, a substantially higher number than previous records in 2022 and 2003. In a new study , which is accepted for publication in Nature Health, the team of researchers analyzed temperature and mortality data across different cities and age groups to estimate heat-related deaths between June and August.

The authors behind the study blame “human-caused warming driven primarily by the burning of fossil fuels” for around two-thirds of the heat-related deaths over the summer.

Warming continent

Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).…