Europe Overheated: New Tool Highlights Heat Inequality Across 37 European Countries

• Europe is the fastest-warming continent ­– and heat hits the poorest hardest

• New free tool shows exactly where extreme heat and social disadvantage overlap – down to your own region

• Austria has already warmed by around 3 °C – twice the global average

• The hardest-hit regions: parts of Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece – up to 46 heat days per summer combined with high poverty

• Policymakers are stalling while vulnerable people – elderly, children, low-income households in poorly insulated homes – bear the brunt

Vienna, Austria – 9 November 2026 – While Europe is warming faster than any other continent, heat stress does not affect everyone equally. A newly released Heat Inequality Map, published by the Austrian-based Momentum Institut in collaboration with the SET-Network, highlights the state of heat stress and social inequality across Europe. The interactive tool covers 1,345 regions in 37 European countries and combines climate data from the Copernicus Climate Service with social data from Eurostat.

The map illustrates what mere weather forecasts conceal: extreme heat is a salient social issue.

FIND THE TOOL HERE

Open-source tool built on seven official data sources

The open-source project combines seven official data sources – three climate indicators (heat load, summer mean temperature, and heat days ≥ 30°C) and four social indicators (share of population aged 65+, share of children under 14, poverty risk, and overcrowded housing) – across 1,345 European regions. Users can zoom from a continental European view down to individual regions. The tool relies strictly on fully traceable data from official sources, marking missing values in gray.

Future expansions aim to include layers for protective infrastructure and climate projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) up to 2050.

Stalled climate policy deepens the social divide

With the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP) underway, the map underscores the necessity of prioritizing heat inequality on the political agenda. „The past summer of extreme heat vividly illustrates what a simple temperature reading conceals: 35 degrees Celsius means completely different realities for different population groups. Those living in poorly insulated apartments, with no way to escape to green spaces or access air-conditioned public areas, are hit hardest by extreme heat.“– Barbara Blaha, Director of the Momentum Institut.

The repercussions of global heating remain underestimated, including in Europe. Austria has already breached the 1.5-degree target of the Paris Climate Agreement: since the pre-industrial reference period (1850–1900), the country's annual average temperature has risen by approximately 2.9 to 3.1°C – warming twice as fast as the global average.

Regions in Southeastern Europe are particularly affected. The ten regions with the highest overall burden are located in Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece. The Bulgarian region of Yambol averages 34 heat days per summer, while over 27 percent of its population is at risk of poverty, compounded by a highly vulnerable elderly population. Dolj in Romania similarly records around 46 heat days per summer, a climate risk that collides with severe socio-economic vulnerabilities, from high poverty rates to overcrowded housing.

In Austria, the capital city of Vienna records the highest combined burden with 20 heat days per summer. Conversely, the rural region of Northern Burgenland sees a similar number of hot days, but with significantly lower poverty rates. At the same time, urban heat islands in densely built areas are becoming a massive strain, hitting people in poor housing conditions the hardest.

European network & upcoming data features

The tool is integrated into the European SET Network (https://set-network.eu), a partnership of socio-ecological think tanks across various European countries. The long-term project aims to spotlight the deepening heat injustice in Europe and make its consequences tangible across national borders.

Upcoming updates are planned to integrate layers visualizing protective infrastructures, such as cool public spaces, healthcare access, and climate adaptation investments in housing. Additionally, an interactive slider will allow users to compare current conditions with future climate scenarios based on IPCC scenarios.

„The summer of extreme heat was no coincidence: it is the price of past obstructive policies and a preview of the future. Without drastic emission reductions, overheating will become the new normal, and those who lack resilient public infrastructure and cooling will be left behind.“ – Barbara Blaha, Director of the Momentum Institut.

The Heat Inequality Map is publicly accessible at https://www.heat-inequality-map.com. All utilized data sets are also available for download.

About Momentum Institut 

The Momentum Institut the austrian based think tank for the many. Since 2019, the Momentum team has been developing and disseminating concrete and constructive proposals for a sustainable and more just society. The think tank’s work focuses on labor, climate, and income distribution.

About SET-NET 

The socio-ecological think tank network (SET-NET) was founded in response to escalating social inequality, the deepening climate crisis, and the surge of racism across Europe. The network promotes a socio-ecological transformation based on solidarity and equality. By fostering transnational collaboration, SET-NET advances key agendas for progressive change.

Contact for media inquiries
Nina Spurny, Press Spokesperson Momentum Institut
[email protected] 
+43 664 10 23 280