Heatwaves and severe floods have caused up to 142,000 deaths in Europe in just four decades

Destroyed houses are seen close to the Ahr river in Schuld, Germany last July. Picture: AP Photo/Michael Probst

Severe floods and other extreme weather have cost Europe about half a trillion euro in the past four decades, with Germany, France and Italy the worst-hit countries.

Between 90,000 and 142,000 deaths were attributed to weather and climate-related events over the period 1980 to 2020, the overwhelming majority of them from heatwaves.