"The science is clear that human-induced climate change is making these heatwaves more frequent and extreme," Stiell said in a statement.
A woman applies sunscreen on her friend next to a foutain of the Place de la Concorde during a heatwave in Paris
A woman applies sunscreen on her friend next to a foutain of the Place de la Concorde during a heatwave in Paris on May 27, 2026. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)
The UN climate chief said Wednesday that a record-breaking early heatwave scorching a swathe of western Europe was “a brutal reminder of the spiraling impacts of the climate crisis”.
Britain and France have reported their hottest ever May days this week as a “heat dome” brought sizzling temperatures more typical of midsummer to western Europe.
With temperatures remaining stubbornly above 30C across much of northern Europe and predicted to go up again Thursday, UN climate chief Simon Stiell said the “main culprit” was humanity’s burning of coal, oil and gas — the primary driver of climate change.
“The science is clear that human-induced climate change is making these heatwaves more frequent and extreme,” Stiell said in a statement.
READ ALSO: Four Teenagers Drown In England Amid Heatwave
He also noted extreme conditions gripping India, where troops are battling forest fires and local authorities have reported deaths from heatstroke.
International air-quality monitoring platform AQI recorded that the top 45 hottest cities in the world were all in India at midday on Wednesday, all above 43C.
“Protecting human lives, businesses and economies from extreme heat and the many other soaring costs of climate change is core business for every nation, and it starts with kicking the fossil fuel addiction much faster,” Stiell said.
The Middle East war had also laid bare the “soaring costs” of fossil fuel reliance and the need to pivot to cleaner sources of energy, he added.
Britain’s ‘Tropical Night’
Temperatures remained high in France on Wednesday despite a breeze from across the English Channel, with the Meteo France weather service forecasting highs of up to 39C on Thursday in the south.
French authorities on Tuesday reported at least seven deaths linked to the heatwave — five of which were drownings, as many people sought relief at water spots.
On holiday in Saint Malo, northwest France, Dominique Laborde, 71, said she was suffering in the 30C-plus temperatures despite hailing from the hotter south of the country.
“It really feels like a weight,” she said as she cooled off in the seaside town’s cathedral.
She said she found climate change “worrying”. “We have children and grandchildren. It’s going to be tough for them if things deteriorate this much,” she said of the climate change phenomenon.
Ernestine, an 82-year-old native of Saint Malo who did not give her surname, was undeterred by the beating sun.
She said the warmth after the town’s cold, wet winter was good for her joints. “I hope it’ll be the same this summer,” she said, a cap on her head.
Authorities in Britain said four teens had drowned in England since Sunday.
Temperatures in Britain cooled Wednesday. But that came after another record-breaking “tropical night” was recorded in Cornwall in southwestern England, where the nighttime temperature did not fall below 21.4C.
France and the UK both logged their hottest-ever day in the month of May on Monday and then again on Tuesday.
The French national thermal average indicator was 24.9C on Tuesday.
Ireland also reported record-breaking temperatures for May while Spain, Italy and Austria have also experienced unusually sweltering conditions for this time of year.
