Video: Europe Heatwave death toll exceeds 1,300 as China deploys citywide misting systems
Abdullateef Fowewe
A deadly June heatwave across Europe has resulted in at least 1,300 excess deaths, health authorities and international agencies reported, even as urban planners in China deploy large-scale misting systems to lower temperatures on city streets and public spaces.
The World Health Organisation and national health agencies recorded sharp increases in heat-related mortality during the month, with concentrated spikes in France and Spain.
French health officials attributed roughly 1,000 excess deaths to the extreme heat, while Spanish figures reported more than 1,000 additional fatalities in the same period, numbers that helped push the continentwide toll above 1,300 when aggregated and reconciled by regional mortality monitors and media outlets.
Meanwhile, Chinese cities are adopting an engineering response to rising temperatures: visible, citywide evaporative-cooling networks that spray fine mist from nozzles mounted on lampposts, overpasses and pedestrian zones.
Video footage from several municipal projects shows synchronised water spray systems activating along highways, sidewalks and rooftop installations, producing a low-hanging mist and occasional rainbows where traffic and footfall stir the cooled air.
Local reports from cities including Yuncheng and Wuhan indicate these systems can reduce local ambient temperatures by roughly 3–8°C in targeted zones.
Municipal engineers say the misting approach effectively increasing local humidity while using rapid evaporation to extract heat offers immediate relief in densely populated corridors and open public spaces.
Chinese authorities maintain the systems are calibrated to conserve water and focus on high-traffic, high-heat hotspots.
The contrasting responses highlight differing regional challenges: Europe is grappling with acute human impacts and strained health systems as heatwaves become more frequent, while China experiments with visible urban cooling interventions to protect outdoor populations and slow heat stress in public infrastructure.
