Why is Europe warming twice as fast as the world average?

Europe is contending with a new climate reality as extreme heat is no longer a rare occurrence.

Two searing heatwaves in May and June set temperature records across France, Germany, Spain and Britain. In some places, the mercury rose above 40 deg C.

Those blistering conditions, which arrived well ahead of peak summer, were driven by an area of high pressure, known as a heat dome, sitting over Europe and trapping warm air underneath.

Heatwaves are becoming more frequent, more intense and longer-lasting across Europe, the world’s fastest-warming continent.

Forecasts suggest there could be months of abnormal heat to come, which may be intensified by atmospheric shifts linked to the return of the El Nino weather phenomenon.

Why is Europe warming so quickly?

Over the last 30 years, temperatures in Europe have risen by around 0.56 deg C per decade, more than twice the world average, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Only the Arctic, a region split across three different continents, has warmed more quickly.

The long-term rise in global temperatures is driven by heat-trapping greenhouse gases emitted by human activity. But there are a few other factors that are turbocharging warming in Europe.

One is a change in weather patterns. Shifts in atmospheric circulation are resulting in more hot, southerly airflows across Europe, which are fuelling more heatwaves and extreme temperatures.

Europe’s rapid warming is also an unintended consequence of its success in cleaning up air pollution. Thanks to stricter air-quality regulations adopted by governments in the 1980s, there are now fewer pollution particles lingering in the air and reflecting solar radiation back into space.

Snow and ice deflect the sun’s energy, too, but their coverage across Europe has been shrinking, meaning more heat is being absorbed by the ground.

The melting ice is partly why the Arctic is warming so quickly. Some of the Arctic, such as the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, is within Europe, amplifying the continent’s average pace of warming.

How does extreme heat affect people?

There is a danger of heat stress. This manifests in symptoms such as dizziness, nausea and cramps, and can culminate in heatstroke – life-threatening hyperthermia that can damage the brain, heart and kidneys.

Humidity can make conditions feel even warmer. When there is more water vapour in the air, sweat does not evaporate as quickly to cool down the body.

Heatwaves are increasing the frequency of tropical nights in Europe, meaning temperatures stay above 20 deg C and it is difficult to sleep.

As well as being uncomfortable, this can impair cognitive function and lead to long-term health problems, such as a higher risk of heart disease. Not being able to cool down at night also reduces the body’s ability to cope with prolonged heat.

Heat can be fatal. There were more than 200,000 heat-related deaths in Europe over the past four years, according to the World Health Organization.

How do heatwaves impact the power grid?

Heatwaves typically trigger a sharp increase in power demand as people switch on fans and air conditioning. At the same time, electricity supply can be constrained, sending power prices soaring.

During the June heatwave in 2026, evening prices in France climbed to their highest level since the energy crisis of 2022.

Heat domes usually suppress cloud formation, resulting in sunnier conditions that boost output from solar panels. But the high pressure is also associated with lower wind speeds. A drop in wind power generation can tighten electricity supply in the evenings when solar goes offline.

Nuclear plants, the backbone of the French power grid, are often forced to curb their output during heatwaves. That is because the rivers they draw water from to cool their reactors get too hot. There are limits on the discharge of warm water back into rivers to protect aquatic wildlife. 

Less electricity from clean sources can require costlier – and dirtier – fossil-fuel plants to come online.

What other disruption do heatwaves cause?

High temperatures place a strain on transport infrastructure and health services. Railway tracks can buckle and asphalt roads can melt. 

Heatwaves exacerbate drought, putting pressure on water supply, the reservoirs used for hydropower and water levels in rivers such as the Rhine, an important trade route.

Persistent heat can reduce crop yields and fuel wildfire conditions as the ground and vegetation dry out. Baked soil is often less able to absorb water, meaning there is a risk of flash flooding when rains arrive.

The combined effects of extreme heat can weigh on economic output. Cumulative heat-related losses in gross domestic product could amount to 5 per cent to 7 per cent for major European economies between 2026 and 2030, according to insurance giant Allianz.

How equipped is Europe to deal with the heat?

Much of Europe’s infrastructure was not built to cope with soaring temperatures, particularly in the north and west, where the focus has been on retaining heat in buildings to endure cold winters.

In recent years, cities including Paris, Madrid and Barcelona have established climate shelters in public spaces such as libraries and parks for people to cool off.

Air conditioning is becoming more popular, but adoption remains patchy, even as more areas experience days hot enough to warrant cooling systems. While more than 40 per cent of Spain’s housing has AC, the Europe-wide figure is just 20 per cent. By contrast, around 90 per cent of US households have AC.

European buildings tend to be older, erected before such cooling technology became mainstream. It can be difficult to secure approval to retrofit AC units due to concerns about their appearance, energy usage and climate impact.

As hot air is sucked out of buildings and pumped onto city streets, there are fears this could worsen the so-called urban heat island effect – where densely populated cities are warmer than rural areas due to less greenery and more heat-absorbing concrete and asphalt. BLOOMBERG