Summer 2022 heatwaves killed 61,000 people in Europe

Over 61,000 persons are estimated to have died on account of the heatwaves that swept throughout Europe final yr, and with out efforts to defend essentially the most weak we’d see an identical toll this yr.

Summer 2022 was the most popular season on document in Europe, with temperatures reaching new extremes across the continent, particularly in western and central areas. Europe additionally noticed excessive ranges of extra deaths over this time, however precisely what number of have been as a result of warmth was unclear.

“Extreme heat is one of the most deadly natural hazards,” says Vikki Thompson on the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, as a result of it exacerbates pre-existing cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses.

Joan Ballester on the Barcelona Institute for Global Health in Spain and his colleagues investigated this hyperlink by wanting on the variety of deaths logged by the European statistical workplace Eurostat for 35 European nations, together with temperature data.

The group discovered that between 30 May and 4 September final yr, 61,672 deaths have been associated to warmth – with the most important numbers in Italy, Spain, Germany and France. After adjusting for inhabitants dimension, the group discovered that heat-related deaths have been disproportionately excessive in Mediterranean nations together with Spain, Italy and Greece.

“Despite the fact that the temperature anomalies were the same in France and in Spain, the mortalities were radically different,” says Ballester. “This may be partly due to socioeconomic factors.”

Ballester hopes this research will increase extra consciousness of the lethal results of warmth. With 2023 already shaping as much as be one of many hottest years on document, we’d anticipate comparable extra deaths this yr, although Ballester declined to make a selected prediction. “Given the same vulnerability, we can expect a given number of heat-related deaths,” he says.

“Events like this are likely to become more common and severe, thus preparedness needs to be improved to reduce avoidable deaths, minimise the economic impacts of future heatwaves and shield the most vulnerable from the worst of the effects,” says Candice Howarth on the London School of Economics, who wasn’t concerned within the research.

Thompson, who additionally wasn’t concerned, expresses an identical opinion. “Fortunately, impacts of heat on human health can be reduced through education and policy changes. The annual heat-related mortality numbers in this study show that this is already happening – although 2022 was the hottest European summer on record, deaths were lower than in [the heatwave of] 2003,” she says.