Heat Stress and Climate Change – A Rising Risk Across Europe

May 2026 marked an unprecedented early-season heatwave across several European countries, leaving dozens of casualties in its wake. According to Spain’s Ministry of Health, 101 heat-related deaths were recorded during the month, a figure 3.6 times higher than the average of the previous decade. Similarly, in England and France, several people lost their lives during the same extreme heat event.

Heat stress is increasingly recognized as a major climate-related physical risk, impacting both employee health and business continuity across organizations.

Behind these figures lies an increasingly significant risk: heat stress. Heat stress occurs when the human body is unable to regulate its temperature effectively due to prolonged exposure to extreme heat, humidity, and solar radiation. Health impacts can be severe, ranging from dehydration and heat exhaustion to heatstroke, aggravation of cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, and, in the most severe cases, loss of life.

In recent years, climate change has been rapidly altering environmental conditions across Europe, with increasingly frequent and intense periods of extreme heat becoming one of its most apparent consequences. As a result, heat-related risks continue to grow year after year. According to the European scientific organization ‘Copernicus’, Europe is expected to experience heatwaves earlier in spring and later in autumn, extending well beyond the traditional summer period.  (https://climate.copernicus.eu/what-do-we-know-about-europes-early-and-intense-heatwave-may-2026)

For businesses, employee exposure to high temperatures can lead to significant health and safety impacts, as well as workplace accidents, reduced productivity, increased energy consumption, absenteeism, adjusted working schedules, operational disruptions, and other challenges. Industries particularly affected include manufacturing, transportation, logistics, construction, and tourism. Heat stress is therefore emerging as an important business risk with direct implications for operational continuity. At the same time, organizations face increasing compliance obligations regarding the protection of employee health and safety.

As heat-related risks continue to grow, understanding, monitoring, and proactively managing heat stress are becoming key pillars of organizational resilience and risk management.

As extreme heat events continue to intensify across Greece and Europe, integrating climate-related physical risks into risk management frameworks is no longer optional. Assessing exposure to climate risks, developing response plans for extreme weather events, adapting working schedules, training personnel, and monitoring heat stress indicators are all critical measures for enhancing organizational resilience and ensuring business continuity in a warming climate.

With the development of the RIBIA and RiskClima systems, E-ON offers integrated solutions for assessing risks related to emissions and Climate Change. These solutions enable companies to plan strategically, mitigate risks and adapt to future climate challenges.

The RiskClima project was implemented within the framework of the program “Development of Digital Products and Services” of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0,” with funding from the European Union – NextGenerationEU.