Europe’s Heat Wave Shows Climate Change Is Turning Extreme Heat into a National Security Threat

Europe has entered another heat wave, and this one has already caused deaths, coming less than a month after the continent saw a record-breaking hot May. The article argues that heat waves are no longer just seasonal discomfort, but a worsening extreme-weather threat in the climate crisis. Last summer, extreme heat forced nuclear reactors in Switzerland and France to shut down temporarily when river water used for cooling became too warm, showing how heat can strain both power systems and ecosystems.

According to the IPCC, global warming has already increased the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events, turning phenomena that once appeared only once every few decades into far more common occurrences. Dr. Michal Goldenberg, an academic and scientific-strategic adviser on climate change and national security, said that in 2024 the global average temperature passed 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels for the first time, reaching 1.55 degrees, and she cited Israel’s Meteorological Service as projecting 3.5 degrees of warming by the end of the century.

Goldenberg said heat waves are not only a health problem but a direct national security threat. She pointed to disruption in Britain during the 2022 European heat wave, when rail lines warped, some train service was halted, and roads and airport runways were damaged as asphalt softened. She warned that in Israel, the highly centralized electricity grid is especially vulnerable, because transformers and other equipment can fail in extreme heat, leading to widespread outages.

She added that heat can cascade through the economy by increasing electricity demand for cooling while reducing generation capacity. That can harm hospitals, emergency systems, transport, business activity, and air travel, including flight cancellations and runway disruptions similar to a missile threat to Ben Gurion Airport. Rail systems are also at risk from warped tracks and vegetation fires near lines. Goldenberg said the solutions exist, mainly cutting emissions and preparing for warming already underway, with more renewable energy and a more distributed power grid. She argued that Israel has the sun, the technology, and the ability to plan ahead, but needs leadership and long-term strategic investment.