As Europeans swelter, can they learn from Australians?

As Europe struggles with soaring temperatures, Australia's heatwave history could teach valuable lessons Thu 25 Jun 2026 at 5:00am In short: Europe's deadly record-breaking heatwave has exposed its vulnerabilities to the impacts of climate change. While countries overseas can look to Australia for adaptation tips, experts say all nations have work to do to improve their resilience to extreme heat. What's next? Temperatures in Europe are set to subside over the weekend. Europe has only just begun summer but is already in the grips of a severe heatwave that has seen records tumble and at least 48 people drown. Scientists warn this type of event is becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change. Britain logged its highest temperature for June on Wednesday, reaching 36 degrees in southern England as a heat dome hovered over much of Western Europe. France recorded its hottest day for the second day running, when temperatures peaked at 44.3 degrees in the south-western town of Pissos on Tuesday.Temperatures in Paris hit 40.9, a June record, on Wednesday. Italy's health ministry placed 16 cities — including Florence, Milan, Rome, Turin and Verona — on its highest heat alert, and warned the heatwave could intensify further, peaking between Sunday and Monday. Spain has also hit its highest daily average temperature in June since at least 1950, breaking the previous record of 28.01 degrees set last June. But hitting high temperatures for several days straight during summer is familiar territory for Australians, who often question why Europeans struggle during such hot spells. Health experts say a range of factors can influence differences in heat tolerance, including physiology, behaviour and engineering. So as countries around the world find ways to adapt to rising temperatures, could Australia's experience with scorching summers teach some valuable lessons? Heat familiarity While Australians have generally become acclimatised to hotter temperatures due to exposure, that does not mean their bodies will better adapt to more frequent and intense heatwaves. ANU honorary professor Liz Hanna, whose research focuses on the impact of heat exposure on health, said there was an "upper limit" to how much heat the human body could survive. But she said greater exposure meant Australians generally understood how to behave during a heatwave. "Australians are very good at wearing hats now and protective covers to help protect the skin, as we absorb a lot of heat through the skin," Dr Hanna said. "Australia probably still needs to boost up, but the Europeans could probably learn from this." Dr Hanna said, apart from those living in warmer countries like Italy and Greece, Europeans were less familiar with extreme heat. "Not only is their body not used to it, but also in how to behave, how to respond and how to protect themselves," she said. "We see on the news that in the recent heatwave in France hardly anyone had a hat on and I found that astounding." Housing design for a future climate Housing design in Europe can differ depending on the location, with countries in warmer climates like Spain and Italy typically opting for stone and brick buildings, blinds, smaller windows and natural ventilation to promote cooling. RMIT's Nicola Willand, an architect who specialises in housing, energy, health and equity, said countries in cooler climates, like Norway, Sweden, Hungary and Siberia prioritised insulation to minimise heating demand. "But the dilemma is if you insulate a home really well and you draft-proof it, then you need to rely on shading, because as soon as the sun comes through the window you get the greenhouse effect," she said. "It warms up on the inside and the heat no longer dissipates. "If they're very well insulated and summer heat is not taken into consideration, there is a risk of overheating." The Queenslander is an example of a climate-adaptive house design that was built in the 19th century in a subtropical climate where houses were lifted off the ground and verandahs provided shading. "That shaded area underneath the house would always be cool and then you had timber floors, so the cool air from below would then be sucked up into the house and provide natural cooling," Dr Willand said. "Lightweight materials so they didn't trap the heat inside, but when it cooled down overnight you opened the windows and the whole house could cool down relatively quickly." Dr Willand said countries in Europe had their own energy rating rules and temperature requirements for houses. "Germany, for example, only looks at heating and not cooling yet, whereas in Australia we have our nationwide energy home rating system since 2005," she said. "Having cooling demand as an integral part of all rating systems is definitely something that European countries can adopt." Adapting to climate change European countries like France are taking steps to prepare for the impacts of climate change, such as planting vegetation on buildings and through streets. While Australia is advanced in some areas of climate adaptation, Dr Hanna said the country still had room for improvement. "I'd like to see in legislation that landlords, social housing, private housing would have to be able to provide accommodation for renters that is cool enough," she said. "And policies such as contracts for builders … we can't expect builders to go out and build in the rain, we need similar sorts of things for heat." Dr Willand said Australia's housing regulation does not cover extreme temperatures. "We look at every day and how the home responds but we don't really look at the peaks," she said. "We don't single out a heat wave event and make sure that the home performs well." Air conditioning has been discussed as a way to improve resilience, with International Energy Agency analysis finding about 20 per cent of homes having it in Europe. Australia is understood to have about 70 per cent of homes with air conditioning, but Dr Willand said it is not a solution on its own. "We really want to discourage people from just installing air conditioners because their home is not well designed … that will just increase energy demand and energy usage," Dr Willand said. "It would increase electricity bills and that's especially of concern for low-income households."