Both of these scenes were on my mind when scientists published the first estimates of the death toll from Europe\u2019s ferocious June heatwave, which is likely to range from several thousand to more than 20,000<\/a>. Because while there are some aspects of climate breakdown that may leave you feeling powerless as an individual, I strongly feel heat should not be one of them.<\/p>\n Four ways to stay saferCities, where hot weather is compounded by the urban heat island effect, are finding ways to adapt. Photograph: imageBROKER.com<\/p>\n There are four basic ways to cut the vast death toll from heat: stop the planet from baking, cool your immediate environment, avoid the heat, protect vulnerable people. If you live in a rich democracy, you have power over them all. So, here\u2019s what you can do to stay safe.<\/p>\n Cut carbon pollution<\/p>\n First, the climate. The June heatwave would have been \u201cvirtually impossible\u201d<\/a> even just a couple of decades ago, scientists say, and studies have found more than half of heat-related deaths in European cities are tied to burning fossil fuels. For the average person, cutting carbon pollution means avoiding flights, eating less meat, swapping gas boilers for heat pumps, and combustion-engine cars for electric vehicles \u2013 or bikes and buses \u2013 and simply buying less stuff. Comforting as it may be to blame billionaires and Big Oil, the way we live, move, shop and vote also has an outsized impact on how hot the planet gets.<\/p>\n Adapt your home<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s temperatures closer to home. In cities, hot weather is compounded by the urban heat island effect<\/a> \u2013 partly due to car culture that prefers tarmac to green space \u2013 along with poor building design, particularly in northern Europe. Air-conditioning is a powerful shortcut to cool homes (although it strains electricity grids and worsens urban heat for those without it), while shading solutions such as awnings and external shutters can often achieve the same effect without the trade-offs. Even renters on tight budgets can adopt makeshift versions. Hanging curtains or bedsheets outside windows can lead to surprisingly large temperature differentials. (Check out my colleague Zoe Wood\u2019s seven-point guide<\/a> to cooling your home, by the way.)<\/p>\n Change your habits<\/p>\n The next thing to watch is how we behave. Drinking water, drawing curtains, wearing loose clothes and avoiding the sun are all simple ways to deal with the heat. But what feels like common sense to some may be unfamiliar to those who did not grow up with extreme heat. As I passed the boozy bachelor party drinking their way through the Berlin heat \u2013 an extreme case in 40C, perhaps, but worryingly common at 35C \u2013 an Italian friend lamented how many cars and flats had opened their windows when the outdoor air was so hot.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Down to Earth<\/p>\n The planet’s most important stories. Get all the week’s environment news – the good, the bad and the essential<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n My friend is not alone in her bemusement. Avikal Somvanshi, a heat researcher at the University of Darmstadt, felt like he would faint when crossing the city\u2019s paved-over square a couple of weeks ago, and was surprised by people in northern Europe\u2019s relationship to heat. \u201cIn India, and even in southern Europe, when the sun is out people seek shade,\u201d said Somvanshi. \u201cMy fellow Germans will just stand there trying to get a tan.\u201d<\/p>\n Check in and help out<\/p>\n The final step is to take care of those in need. Trade unions are pushing for work to stop when temperatures soar, particularly for builders and farmers. In cities such as Barcelona, small businesses and public buildings have been turned into makeshift cooling centres<\/a>. Doctors have touted the benefits of checking in on older people and those with underlying illness, who make up the vast majority of heat deaths, particularly those who live alone. In Paris, vulnerable people can sign up to have the city\u2019s authorities check on them during a heatwave, while in Denmark, volunteers have taken this service into their own hands. You do not need to wait for organised help. Knock on your neighbour\u2019s door \u2013 a cool drink or a hand with the groceries could spell the difference between life and death.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/p>\n From \u2018heat panic\u2019 to \u2018sacrificed at the altar\u2019: Europe\u2019s air conditioning culture wars heat up<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/500.jpg\")
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June heatwave in UK led to \u2018mass sleep deprivation\u2019, poll suggests<\/a>
I\u2019m Australian, so I know how to cope with heatwaves: here are my tips for keeping cool<\/a><\/p>\n