A study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) has revealed that climate change was responsible for more than half of the deaths associated with extreme temperatures recorded in the summer of 2022 in Europe.
In total, 68,593 people died due to high temperatures in that period, of which it is estimated that 38,154 deaths could have been avoided if global warming did not exist.
The research, published in ‘npj Climate and Atmospheric Science’, uses epidemiological models applied to mortality records and historical temperature data from 35 European countries to calculate the impact of climate change on excess heat mortality.
The study shows that the number of deaths attributed to climate change was significantly higher in southern European regions and disproportionately affected women and the elderly.
Of the heat-related deaths, 56% were concentrated in women and 61% in people over 80 years of age, reflecting a higher vulnerability in these population groups. The researchers also observed a general increase in heat-related mortality in almost all the countries analyzed, highlighting that climate change increases the probability of exceptionally hot summers, such as that of 2022.
Furthermore, the findings indicate that the impact of climate change on heat mortality is not limited to the most extreme years.
Increase in 2022
According to the study, between 44% and 54% of heat-related mortality between 2015 and 2021 is also attributed to global warming, accounting for between 19,000 and 28,000 deaths annually. However, the year 2022 marked a worrying 40% increase in heat mortality and a two-thirds increase in deaths directly attributable to anthropogenic warming compared to previous years.
Without adequate measures, the number of deaths and record temperatures will continue to rise in the coming years
Given these data, the study highlights the urgent need to implement effective adaptation and mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of heat-related mortality.
Joan Ballester Claramunt, principal investigator of the EARLY-ADAPT project, calls on European governments to increase ambition in monitoring and preventing the effects of climate change on public health.
According to Ballester, without adequate measures, the number of deaths and record temperatures will continue to increase in the coming years.
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