Germany Records Over 5,000 Heat-Related Deaths Amid Europe’s Hottest June on Record
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Germany has recorded over 5,000 heat-related deaths in 2024, mostly among the elderly, during Europe’s hottest June on record, prompting criticism of the government’s climate policies.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Germany reports about 5,120 heat-related deaths in 2024, mostly in late June.
- Around 4,270 victims were aged 75 or older, with more women affected.
- Cologne saw 120 deaths over one weekend, four times the normal rate.
- Green Party leader criticized Chancellor Merz for inadequate heatwave response.
- Western Europe experienced its hottest June ever, per EU climate agency.
- France, Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands reported over 4,700 excess deaths.
Germany has reported approximately 5,120 deaths linked to extreme heat so far this year, according to the Robert Koch Institute, the country's public health authority. Most fatalities occurred in late June when weekly temperatures significantly exceeded average levels. Of those who died, around 4,270 were aged 75 and older, with a higher number of women affected due to their larger representation in the elderly population.
The heatwave has intensified political pressure on the German government. Katrin Dröge, leader of the Green Party, highlighted that during the peak heatwave weekend of June 27-28, the city of Cologne experienced 120 deaths, four times the usual number. She criticized Chancellor Friedrich Merz for his lack of response to the crisis and accused his administration of weakening climate protection laws.
These figures add to a troubling pattern across Europe, where the Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that Western Europe endured its hottest June ever recorded. Between June 20 and 28, over 4,700 excess deaths were reported in France, Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands. Germany’s most severe heat-related death tolls in the past decade were in 2018 and 2019, with approximately 8,400 and 6,900 deaths respectively.
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