Updated

European leaders face a reckoning after a summer of record-shattering heatwaves that killed an estimated 35,000 people across the continent and caused around €180bn in damage, according to European Commission estimates. The extreme heat scorched crops, burned forests, emptied rivers and reservoirs, warped train tracks and melted roads, prompting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to call it the 'summer of truth.' Despite record-breaking heat and public demand for climate action, politicians across Europe are described as often timid or in denial about the scale of the crisis, raising questions about the region's preparedness for future extreme weather.