--- title: "El Niño Already Killing Thousands in Europe" description: "Summer heat fueled by a massive El Niño oscillation has claimed thousands of lives in Europe, an early sign of further tragedy to come." date: "2026-07-05" modified: "2026-07-05" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/science-energy/el-nino-europe-heatwave-mortality" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" --- # El Niño Already Killing Thousands in Europe ![Firefighters from the Paris Fire Brigade escort a person outside the Louvre Museum during an intense heatwave in Paris, France.]() *Annice Lyn / Getty Images* We're officially in an El Niño year, and as predicted, it's a scorcher. Record temperatures are already being recorded around the world, from the [streets of New York]() to the [icy shelves of the Antarctic](). Even the surface waters of the world's waterways are under unprecedented stress from the heat, with the [average global ocean temperature]() breaking the all-time record high for the month of June. The human impact, [as predicted](), is already staggering. While the heat waves currently baking North America, South Asia, South America and Africa are sure to have their fair share of tragedy, early reporting on weather-related fatalities across Europe makes it clear that these are no ordinary summer conditions. According [to *El Pais*](), June heat has culminated in over 1,000 excess deaths in Spain, 623 of which came as a direct result of Europe's June heatwave. In France, where temperatures are [eclipsing worst-case forecasts]() set for the year 2050, a further [1,000 or more deaths]() have been attributed to extreme heat. Both tragedies are a terrifying sign of things to come, as the current El Niño phase, a warm period of a 2-7 year climate cycle, is literally just beginning. In 2022, the most recent banner year for European heat waves, there were over [61,000 heat-related deaths]() across the continent — and it wasn't even an El Niño year. Given El Niño's [amplifying affect]() on European heat, to say nothing of its impact on the rest of the world, it's likely that number could be a whole lot worse by the time the Autumnal equinox comes around. **More on extreme heat:** *[All But Five US States Are Currently Experiencing Droughts]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()