During the summer of 2022, there were 61,762 heat-related deaths recorded on the European continent. Of these deaths, almost half were recorded in just two southern European countries, Italy and Spain. Italy had the unfortunate position of being both the country with the greatest absolute number of heat-related deaths, as well as being the country with the most in relation to the size of its population. Heat deaths are an increasingly salient issue during summers in Europe, as climate change is causing an increase in the average temperature on the continent as well as an increase in the number of days where extreme heat (>40 degrees Celsius) is recorded.

As climate change causes average temperatures to rise across the European continent, this will inevitably lead to an increasing number of heat-related deaths, or deaths as a result of excess exposure to high temperatures. This is particularly an issue for southern European countries, such as Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal, who are already experiencing a massive uptick in the number of extreme heat days per year, with temperatures often exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in these countries during the Summer. In the Summer of 2022, Italy recorded 295 heat deaths per million inhabitants, resulting in a total of over 18,000 people dying due to excess heat exposure. Europe-wide, this rate was 114 heat deaths per million inhabitants.

In 2023, there was a total of 398 natural disasters events recorded worldwide, down from 398 recorded a year earlier. The Europe, Middle East and Africa region experienced the highest number of natural disasters that year. Deaths and costs of natural disasters Natural disasters affect almost every part of the world. In February 2023, Turkey and Syria were hit by earthquakes that resulted in the highest number of deaths due to natural disaster events that year. In terms of economic damage, Hurricane Katrina remains one of the most expensive natural disasters in the world, topped only by the earthquake/tsunami which hit Japan in 2011. Climate change and natural disasters Climate change has influenced the prevalence of natural disasters. Global warming can increase the risk of extreme weather, resulting in higher risk of droughts and stronger storms, such as tropical cyclones. For instance, higher levels of water vapor in the atmosphere give storms the power to emerge. Furthermore, the heat in the atmosphere and high ocean surface temperatures lead to increased wind speeds, which characterize tropical storms. Areas that are usually unaffected by the sea are becoming more vulnerable due to rising sea levels as waves and currents become stronger.