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Extreme heat: Can Europe adapt to climate change?

Gerhard Elfers
June 28, 2026

Cracked roads, stalled trains, closed classrooms — Germany and other European states have sweltered in an extreme heat wave. Just another hot summer or the tipping point forcing the continent to prepare for a much warmer future?

https://p.dw.com/p/5GD2g

Temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) have broken records in France, Germany and other European countries. The World Health Organization has blamed the heat wave for more than 1,300 additional deaths across Europe, with that number likely to rise.

It's not just humans who are buckling under the heat. The extreme temperatures are also affecting infrastructure such as roads and railway tracks. Is it time to adapt? 

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