Climate change drove extreme heat for 1.5 billion people in summer 2026

A study by Climate Central reveals that during the summer of 2026, over 1.5 billion people globally were exposed to at least 30 days of “at-risk heat” driven by human-induced climate change. The analysis, covering 252 countries and territories, indicates that more than a quarter of the world's population experienced daily temperatures significantly enhanced by global warming.

In Turkey, the average resident faced 32 additional days of risky heat that would not have occurred without climate change. Approximately 54.3 million people in Turkey were exposed to dangerous temperatures for more than 30 days. Regional data shows Adana experienced the highest increase with 40 additional risky days, followed by Gaziantep with 39, Istanbul with 37, Bursa with 34, and Izmir with 33.

Europe was heavily impacted, with nearly 9 out of 10 residents exposed to at least 30 days of at-risk heat. France recorded some of the strongest anomalies, with summer temperatures approximately 3.5°C above the 1991-2020 norm. Météo-France confirmed that the summer of 2026 was the hottest measured in metropolitan France since 1900, featuring 53 days of heatwaves.