Heat deaths doubled in Belgium during the June 2026 heat wave

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A study found that climate change made Belgium’s June 2026 heat wave 3.9°C hotter and more than doubled heat-related deaths. Of 1,181 deaths statistically linked to the extreme temperatures, researchers estimate 665 would not have occurred without human-caused climate change.

A new rapid attribution study by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) finds that human-induced climate change made the June 2026 heat wave in Belgium 3.9°C hotter and more than doubled the number of heat-related deaths. Of the estimated 1,181 deaths statistically linked to the extreme temperatures recorded between June 17 and 28, 2026, 665—or 56%—would not have occurred without anthropogenic climate change. This is the first time heat-related deaths during a specific Belgian heat wave have been attributed to human-induced climate change.