#climate-change

France's government says 301 people have drowned since June 19, with a minister warning that heatwaves are pushing people to take dangerous risks in water.

Belgium is battling its largest wildfire on record, scorching 2,700 hectares in the High Fens nature reserve. The fire has spread to within 3 km of Germany, prompting evacuation orders and EU emergency aid.

Germany's Robert Koch Institute reports at least 12,500 premature deaths linked to heat in 2026 through August 2 — a ten-year record, with Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate hit hardest.

Britain's Met Office says summer 2026 is on course to be the hottest since records began, with the average temperature already running 1.88°C above the 30-year norm and only average August conditions needed to surpass last year's record.

An ongoing drought is drying up Hungary's third-largest lake, while dangerously low water levels have forced the country's main power plant to shut down.

Wales has activated crisis management plans as wildfires spread across its mountains and moorlands, with emergency services warning there are no firefighting helicopters available to tackle the blazes amid an unusually severe dry spell.

Thick wildfire smoke from more than 3,500 fires in Canada is pushing hazardous air quality to over 100 million Americans in 18 states and Washington D.C., with conditions expected to persist through Saturday.