A major new study published in Nature Health delivers a counterintuitive finding: Europe’s wealthiest regions face a higher risk of heat-related deaths than many of its poorest. The research, conducted by Barcelona’s ISGlobal, analyzed data from 161 million deaths across 32 European countries between 2000 and 2019, examining how GDP, household income, social inequality, and life expectancy interact with extreme heat mortality. The results challenge long-held assumptions about the relationship between wealth and health, and suggest that prosperity alone offers no shield against the escalating climate crisis.
Walter Murrow
June 4, 2026
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