Cruel, cruel summer

The Guardian recently reported that around 50000 people died because of the extreme heat in the summer of 2026. The article says that researchers estimate that the effects of anthropogenic climate change were largely to blame for about two-thirds of those deaths. At the millennium, that proportion was about two-fifths, or 40 percent. Hungary, Italy, and Malta experienced the highest heat-death rates, while Italy, France, Spain, Germany and the UK recorded the largest numbers of deaths. Naples was the worst-hit city, with an estimated 815 heat deaths per million residents. The UK alone recorded well over 4000 deaths. Those aged over 85 accounted for almost half the total. However, heat also killed a lot of younger adults with poverty, loneliness and existing health conditions exacerbating the problems caused by the extreme heat dozens of cities experience in the summer. Scorching hot days lead to physical problems and the hot nights prevent many people from cooling off to recover. I…