A joint study conducted by researchers from Imperial College London, the Met Office, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine suggests that the intense heatwaves seen throughout May and June were responsible for more than 2,700 deaths across England and Wales. The findings indicate that roughly 42% of these fatalities were directly linked to rising temperatures exacerbated by human-induced climate change. With temperatures hitting unseasonable peaks of 35.1°C in May and 37.7°C in June, experts have highlighted how unusual and dangerous these early-season weather events were for the region.

The researchers estimate that global warming pushed daytime temperatures 3°C to 4°C higher than they otherwise would have been, significantly increasing the risk to vulnerable populations. While official government death tolls are still pending from the UK Health Security Agency, this study serves as a stark warning about the growing threat of climate change. With previous reports from the Climate Change Committee suggesting that the UK remains unprepared for such extreme conditions—and projecting that most British homes could overheat by 2050—there is mounting pressure on the government to mandate workplace temperature limits and improve cooling infrastructure in public buildings like schools and hospitals.