Europe's rising heat mortality increases fuel debate over air conditioning barriers

Consumer rights activists are denouncing European regulation and bureaucracy, which they say is blocking the use of air conditioning during high summer temperatures and is leading to excessive deaths.

Their push comes after researchers estimated that more than 62,700 heat-related deaths occurred across Europe during the summer of 2024, according to a study published in Nature Medicine.

The figure, produced by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), represents a 23.6 per cent increase on their revised 2023 estimate but remains below their figure for 2022.