There was a historic increase in deaths in Europe after a week of extreme heatwave in June, and most of the deaths were from northern European countries that are not used to such high temperatures — France, Belgium and Germany. About 16,000 more people died compared to the usual numbers in Europe because of the heatwave, the European Mortality Monitoring Network stated in an analysis. According to the New York Times, when temperatures crossed 37 degrees Celsius across Europe, deaths spiked only in northwestern countries because they were not prepared for the heat. The low adoption of air-conditioning in the north has also become a political issue. Meanwhile, southern European countries have ways to beat the heat, as they have been battling high temperatures for centuries. In June, there were more deaths due to the heatwave than in winter when respiratory diseases due to viruses are rife.