Fwd: Europe’s terrible, dangerous week

[Loretta Lohman]

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Sleepless nights. Schools shut. Nightmare commutes. Soaring temperatures in western Europe this week brought climate change to the forefront and prompted debate on everything from London’s architecture to the use of air-conditioning. Today’s newsletter looks at research into the unprecedented heat wave, which scientists have concluded was caused by global warming. Plus, another study about how people in different countries view climate change. Subscribe to Bloomberg.com for unlimited access to all our stories. Record-breaking temperatures By Laura Millan and Olivia Rudgard The heat wave searing much of Europe is officially the most severe ever recorded in the region, according to a study published on Friday. Researchers at World Weather Attribution, who looked at heat and humidity levels during both the day and night during three consecutive days in the month of June, found that temperatures were between 5C and 12C above the seasonal averages across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and southern England. A woman refills at a public drinking fountain during high temperatures in Paris, on June 25. Photographer: Annice Lyn/Getty Images via Getty Images Europe Theodore Keeping, a research associate at Imperial College London and a co-author of the study, said the onset of such high levels of heat this early in the season was striking. “This was the most severe heat wave for any time of the year, not just June,” he said. At the same time, “June is heating faster than any other month and now these temperatures are expected regularly.”  Climate change drove temperatures higher than they would otherwise have been, the study also found, with researchers noting that the cyclical impact of an emerging El Niño pattern didn’t play a role. Such an intense June heat wave would have been virtually impossible 50 years ago, they said. “Yes, this is climate change,” said Friederike Otto, a professor at Imperial College London and a co-author of the study. “Yes, it’s us, no, it’s not El Nino, yes, we have the solutions, no, we’re not implementing them fast enough.” The current heat wave is now shaping a “structural investment trend,” Sarah Kapnick, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s global head of climate advisory, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Friday. “The stresses that we see today are only going to get worse because heatwaves like this ten years from now will be over 40C and it will keep going.” Read more Heat hurts paychecks 5.6 million The number of additional Europeans put at risk of poverty by heat waves and droughts over the last couple of decades, according to a new study. Risk horizon “We’ve been focused on the Iranian war situation. The next event will be El Niño” Les Finemore Chief investment officer at Moreton Capital Partners, which is starting a fund specifically trading El Niño crop risks. Climate anxiety By Eric Roston In eight high-income countries — several of which are currently experiencing extreme heat worsened by global warming — the share of people reporting “very serious” concerns about climate change has dropped by at least 10 points since 2023. The finding comes from the fourth World Risk Poll report, sponsored by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation and conducted together with Gallup Inc., released Tuesday. Gallup conducted more than 143,000 interviews in 2025 across 140 countries and territories. Floodwater surrounds a neighborhood after Tropical Storm Arthur made landfall in Freeport, Texas, on June 17. Photographer: Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images North America The eight countries are Spain, the UK, Ireland, Canada, Denmark, Croatia, Kuwait and New Zealand. All high-income countries together averaged a five-point drop in a high level of concern, to 49%. “This is a notable finding, as high-income countries contribute most to climate change and have the most agency and resources to combat it,” the authors write. In low- and middle-income countries, by contrast, the percentage of respondents saying they were very concerned about climate risk either stayed the same as in 2019 or slipped up or down a couple of points. Other wealthy countries — the US in particular — stand out on a metric that the report authors say may be an impediment to public support for action to curb warming. People who consider climate change a “very serious threat” vastly underestimate the percentage of their compatriots who believe the same thing. Fifty-one percent of Americans think climate change is “very serious” but believe only 10% of others do as well. The gap is second only to that in Portugal, where 66% of people are “very concerned” but believe just 24% of others are. Read more Opinion By Mihir Sharma In 1999, Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew was asked what he thought the most influential innovation of the past millennium had been. His answer? Air-conditioning. It had transformed the lives of people in his equatorial city-state as well as all others in hot climates, he argued. It made modern civilization possible. Britain is not a tropical island, but it felt like one this week. This was the hottest June on record, and summer has months to go. There will be more weeks like this in the next few months; and there will be more months like this in the coming years. Parts of our homes and many of our workplaces are essentially unlivable for longer and longer parts of the year. As a nation, we cannot keep sleeping on the downstairs couch for the rest of our lives. Climate change is real, and Britain, like the rest of Europe, will have to adapt. It must start by changing its absurdly restrictive approach to air-con. Read more Listen to Zero Zero Solar, Batteries Are Thriving in Trump's America The common narrative is that the US renewables industry is struggling. But that’s not the case for the whole sector. This week on Zero, Akshat Rathi talks with Kevin Smith, chief executive officer of Cypress Creek Energy, which recently secured $3.5 billion in financing to build one of the biggest solar and battery projects in the US. Even as the current American administration dismantles clean-energy policies, Smith sees a bright future for solar and batteries. Listen now, and subscribe on Apple, Spotify or YouTube to get new episodes of Zero every Thursday. More from Green One of Spain’s Biggest Banks Is Adjusting Client Pricing in Response to Global Warming BBVA SA is starting make changes based on how exposed its clients are to the physical effects of climate change. China Gives Coal Room to Grow in New Five-Year Energy Plan The stability of the world’s largest energy market continues to outweigh climate concerns. Heat Waves Spur UK Lawmakers to Seek Government Response Plan The UK is experiencing its second heat wave this year and the hottest June temperatures on record. Germany Joins Push to Change EU Methane Rules on Supply Concerns It argued that some provisions could threaten energy security. 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