Europe’s searing heatwaves are not only punishing people’s bodies, but are also having a severe impact on livelihoods, from farm yields to tourism, industrial output and mental health.
In a continent unaccustomed to soaring temperatures experienced in the Gulf, temperatures exceeding 38°C are doing more than making life uncomfortable. They are exposing the economic and social vulnerability of Europe’s infrastructure, which was built for a climate that now looks firmly in the past.
The consequences of summer 2026 are already evident. Crops are failing, livestock farmers were using winter feed in July, workers are becoming less productive and tourism is changing.
Heat records are being broken this year and are likely to be broken again in the near future. The choice facing farmers and experts interviewed by The National is: adapt or wither on the vine.
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This aerial photograph shows the wreckage of a World War II German warship, one of dozens sunk by retreating Nazi forces in September 1944, emerging from the low waters of the Danube River near Prahovo, Serbia, as drought and prolonged hot and dry weather continues to lower water levels across the region. Heat and drought are driving rivers across Europe to record lows. Low levels along the Danube river have already seen Hungary and Romania forced to consider shuttering their nuclear plants, which rely on the water for cooling, in late July, though both managed to avoid doing so for now. AFP -
A car drives pas dried-out fields in Leopoldsdorf im Marchfelde, Austria. Much of Europe is bracing for yet another scorching heatwave following periods of record drought that have driven rivers to historic lows, ignited historic forest fires and contributed to thousands of deaths. Unusually high temperatures were also forecast in the coming days across a number of countries not accustomed to the heat, such as Switzerland, Austria and Hungary. AFP -
Residents and firefighters work to extinguish an advancing wildfire near Formariz in Zamora province, Spain. Reuters -
Italian farmer Mattia Marengo inspects his sunflower field damaged by the heat in the countryside in Bene Vagienna, near Cuneo, north-western Italy. AFP -
A closed water slide and exposed lakebed during a heat wave on Lake Velence, Hungary. Hungary is boosting electricity production at its sole nuclear plant in Paks as the Danube’s water level has rebounded from record lows, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said Monday. Bloomberg -
A ’No Fishing’ sign is pictured in the dried up Falmer Pond in Falmer, East Sussex, south of London. Climate change has intensified a drought across Europe this summer, with extreme heat driving the exceptionally dry conditions, according to experts. AFP -
This aerial view shows burnt cars following a wildfire in Le Porge, in the Gironde Department, south-western France. The fires, which are on an unprecedented scale and have forced the evacuation of around 200,000 "fire refugees" in Gironde and the Landes, were still not under control on July 25, 2026 and continue to keep firefighters and military personnel on high alert, including an A400M aircraft deployed to tackle the blaze for the first time. AFP -
This combination of handout pictures created on August 13, 2026 shows satellite image released by Planet Labs on August 13, 2026, showing aerial views of the Po River in Boretto, northern Italy (top L) on August 8, 2023, (top R) on August 9, 2024, (bottom L) on August 9, 2025 and (bottom R) on August 8, 2026. Areas of Europe home to more than 135 million people -- particularly in France, Italy, Spain and the UK -- are set for temperatures over 35C on August 14, as the continent's latest heatwave intensifies, according to AFP calculations. Europe is the planet's fastest-warming continent and in some places is ill-equipped to deal with hot weather. Repeated heatwaves and drought have fuelled a historically hot summer of wildfires, and contributed to the deaths of thousands of people so far. AFP -
A tourist faces he parched bed of Brenets Lake (Lac des Brenets), part of the Doubs River, a natural border between eastern France and western Switzerland, as central Europe is hit by a new heatwave, in Les Brenets. The river has dried up due to a combination of factors, including geological fissures that drain water underground, below-average rainfall and repeated heatwaves. AFP -
Drone shows the "Burg Pfalzgrafenstein" (Pfalzgrafenstein Castle) on an island in the dried-up river Rhine in Kaub, western Germany. As a heat wave dries Germany's rivers, government ministers are at odds over what to do about it -- re-engineer the waterways or restore them to their natural state. The debate has flared as precariously falling water levels have revealed vast sandbanks on the Rhine, Danube, Elbe and other rivers, severely impacting cargo shipping crucial for many industries. With climate change driving new heat records and longer dry spells in Europe and beyond, scientists warn that the problem will intensify in coming years. AFP -
Wild horses on the Kruzi plateau near Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina, drink water brought by residents as prolonged drought and high temperatures have dried up natural watering holes. Reuters -
People evacuates on small boats during a wildfire as a plume of smoke rise into the sky near the village of Siviri, northern Greece. A fleet of small boats evacuated hundreds of tourists from beaches in northern Greece as a forest fire bore down on two popular resorts. Water bombing planes and helicopters and almost 150 firefighters battled the flames spreading across the Halkidiki peninsula, south of the city of Thessaloniki, the fire service said. AFP -
This photograph shows a wildfire burning trees and grass in Sagana in the territory of Monreale, Sicily. AFP -
A drone view shows water levels recede at Ardingly Reservoir after Britain’s Environment Agency declared the East Midlands, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Kent, East Sussex, Solent and South Downs regions in drought during the fifth heatwave of the year, near Ardingly, south‑east Britain, August 12, 2026. REUTERS / Carlos Jasso TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Economic shock
The scale of the potential damage is enormous, with the ethical Dutch Triodos Bank estimating that heat-related disruption could knock around 1 per cent off the EU's GDP, equivalent to €180 billion, mainly due to weaker labour productivity. Agricultural output could also fall by up to 7 per cent.
The effects go well beyond the farm gate. Heat disrupts roads, railways and rivers. In Germany the Rhine is so low that large barges carrying important goods cannot float.
In Britain the economy has continued to grow, but the heat is already reducing economic activity. Research by Verdant, an environmental think tank, estimates that this summer's five heatwaves have cost at least £4.4 billion in lost output.
Verdant also disclosed that European economies suffer a 3 per cent fall in output per hour for every degree Celsius above 30°C.
The UK lacks suitable infrastructure – notably air conditioning in homes and other buildings – and people cannot work effectively in extreme temperatures, particularly in cities, where heat is trapped.
Frontline farmers
Nowhere is the crisis more visible than in the fields. Stephen Eales, a farmer in Sussex, said his wheat yield is down 23 per cent and oats are down 61 per cent after just 11 per cent of normal rainfall since March.
“The plants are drying out,” he told The National. Crops that should have been harvested in September are being brought in weeks earlier. “The Iran war has also had a significant impact, and if this weather continues there's going to be a food shortage in the future,” he added.
His costs are rising at the same time. Fertiliser is about 15 per cent more expensive, adding roughly £21,000 to his bill. Diesel has risen from about 48.5p a litre to around 90p, an 86 per cent increase, adding another £14,000. In January, there will be a government carbon tax that will cost him another £17,000.
The first major burst of heat did particularly severe damage, arriving just as wheat was filling its grains. “It literally stopped them growing,” he said. Lower yields, higher charges and scant ability to pass those costs on are a dangerous combination for farmers.
Neil Dalynn, whose arable yields are down roughly 50 per cent, said that while farmers are used to bad years, there is now little recovery time. There have already been two difficult years of poor prices and bad weather.
“There's no let up,” he said. “I've never seen the industry with so many talking about packing up.”
Robert Gale, another livestock farmer, is facing a different problem. The grass has turned brown and lost its nutritional value, forcing him to feed his cattle months earlier than usual.
“Once you start feeding your livestock expensive food your profit margins drop away almost to nothing,” he said, adding that he had kept a reserve of hay just in case. Other farmers are less fortunate – some dairy producers with large herds are facing extra costs of £10,000 a week. Water consumption has also risen as animals struggle with the heat, with the cattle drinking double their usual amount.
The parched fields have also become dangerous places to operate machinery. Mr Gale describes them as “like a tinderbox”, especially if ploughs strike flint, causing a flurry of sparks. He now carries a large fire extinguisher in his cab. “The consequences of fire could be devastating for everyone,” he said.
But farmers can adapt. Mr Eales is considering crop varieties better suited to hotter conditions. Mr Gale also believes diets may ultimately change, with less reliance on meat and potentially even wheat-based staples if harvest failures become widespread.
But if conditions worsen globally, he warned, food rationing could reappear. “I don't necessarily say eat less, but we're certainly going to have to monitor our diets. I think the worst-case scenario is that we'll be facing food rationing, much like after the war.”
Rainless crops
There has been an estimated £390 million loss in British crop value and a fall in UK milk production of 18.5 million litres in July as farmers struggle to feed and cool cattle.
Across Europe, the same pattern is emerging. In Czechia, just 32mm of rain fell during March and April, making it the driest spring in more than six decades. Field temperatures subsequently exceeded 50°C in some areas, with some maize fields failing to produce useful animal feed.
France's grain maize harvest is expected to fall by about 35 per cent this year, to its lowest level since at least 1980. The danger, experts warn, is that governments remain trapped in a cycle of paying compensation after disasters rather than investing to prevent future ones.
Tourist heat
Tourism presents a more complicated picture. For some destinations, hot weather is good news. For others, extreme heat can fundamentally change where visitors want to go, with air conditioning now a prerequisite.
At the Knepp Estate in the south of England, where tourism, restaurants and accommodation are an important part of the business, owner Isabella Tree saw a sharp fall in visitors in the first May heatwave.
“There was a noticeable drop in people coming because it was just such a shock to the system, suddenly incredibly hot. People were bowled over by it and didn't go out. Now they have got a bit more used to it.”
Many now head to the coast when temperatures are high. “They just want to submerge in water up to their necks and don't want to be walking around the landscape or even eating.” At Knepp, that means changing the experience with lighter food and menus better suited to hot weather.
The same principle applies across Europe. Attractions without shade, hotels without effective cooling and destinations dependent on outdoor activity may have to rethink their offerings.
Health cost
The most serious consequence has been the loss of human life, with an estimated 30,000 deaths in Europe caused by high temperatures.
Dr Kim van Daalen of Cambridge University warned that extreme heat places enormous pressure on the human body's ability to regulate temperature, leading to cardiovascular strain, heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
“We also see mental health effects,” she added. “We see anxiety and depression increasing. We see people sleeping worse or having more trouble concentrating.”
The problem becomes even more serious when heat combines with wildfire smoke, pollutants from which enter the lungs. Wildfires have devastated large areas of France and Spain. Even in England, previously renowned for its damp summers, there have been 710 wildfires, with one close to a nuclear power station.
Adapt fast
The idea that this is a one-off is difficult to sustain – last year Britain had four heatwaves and a record high temperature, which was rapidly beaten this year. Water storage and irrigation, drought-resistant crops, healthier soils, fire prevention and heat-resilient buildings and transport systems need investment.
Mr Gale believes farming will eventually adapt. His grandfather taught him always to keep half a barn full of hay because “you never know what's around the corner with the weather”.
That old farming wisdom may be more relevant than ever. For Europe, in societies built around a predictable climate, change must be rapid if the losses are not to grow.
