Heat pushes bodies past what they can tolerate: thousands die needlessly, with poor and workers disproportionately affected.
July 2nd 2026
The heatwave of 2026 is making headlines as the worst in recent years, but unfortunately it’s nothing new. A recent analysis estimated 62 ,775 heat-related deaths in Europe in 2024 alone. The Lancet Countdown reports that heat-related deaths among older people have risen sharply, and that hundreds of thousands of people now die globally each year from heat.
The latest heat wave afflicting Western Europe is part of this ongoing climate emergency which most disproportionately affects low-income families and women. Research covering the entire urban and rural population of 32 European countries between 2000-2019 shows that extremes of hot and cold “disproportionally affect disadvantaged populations”. The figures are stark: the researchers found that over these 19 years an additional 300,000 deaths were “linked to the inability to keep the home warm”, and an additional 180,402 heat-related deaths were linked to income inequality.
This is ‘social murder’ on a grand scale and it is shocking but not surprising because the working class have always suffered the effects of the capitalist system, in which massive wealth accrues to a tiny population of a few thousand families while the health and wellbeing of the people suffer.
Asad Rehman, Chief Executive of Friends of the Earth, points out that vulnerable or marginalised groups often endure the most of climate crisis-based hardship globally. In built-up cities, socio-economic aspects of this disparity can be most acute. The lack of green open spaces and trees mean poorer communities in densely packed flats and houses tend to suffer the most. Rehman cites a study that found tree shade reduced maximum surface temperatures by 19°C, while grass reduced them by 24°C.
Instead of brand-new civic centres or other vanity projects, resources should be used to provide more green spaces like parks and play areas that contribute not only to reducing our carbon footprint but also provide a healthier and cleaner environment.
This year children have had to be sent home from school because of the extreme heat, and in many cases, parents have had to miss work to accommodate childcare, all of which adds to an increased financial burden on low-income households.
It is time we took the initiative on climate change. The Workers Party have submitted many responses to departmental proposals on climate change. Yet, with business as usual nothing much ever changes for the better: our government knows that the capitalist system puts profit margins before the health of our citizens and planet, and they are aware of damage that overproduction causes. Despite this, against all the evidence, they seem to believe that the same free market that caused the climate emergency will come to the rescue with technological miracles and ‘green growth’ when the facts show that green technologies are too 'risky' and not profitable enough for capitalists to be interested, even with massive government subventions. The evidence is clear: if you really want green, then you need to be red .