In 2023, more than 47,000 people in Europe lost their lives due to extreme heat, with southern countries bearing the brunt of the impact, according to a report by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) published on Monday.
Last year marked the hottest on record globally. As climate change continues to drive temperatures higher, Europe, the world’s fastest-warming continent, faces increasing health risks from severe heat.
The 2023 death toll, although lower than the estimated 60,000 heat-related deaths in the previous year, would have been 80% higher without the adaptation measures implemented over the past 20 years. These measures, including early warning systems and healthcare improvements, have significantly helped populations cope with rising temperatures, according to the report by the Spanish research center.
“Our findings highlight the societal adaptation processes to high temperatures over the past century, which have significantly reduced heat-related vulnerability and mortality during recent summers, particularly among the elderly,” said Elisa Gallo, a researcher at ISGlobal and the lead author of the study.
The researchers analyzed death and temperature records from 35 European countries, estimating that 47,690 deaths were due to heat-related causes. When adjusting for population, Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, and Spain had the highest mortality rates related to heat.
Source: Reuters
