Nearly 50,000 people in Europe died because of high temperatures last year, the world’s warmest year on record, according to an annual study that warns of the ongoing impacts of climate change on extreme weather events.
An estimated 47,690 people in Europe died in 2023, according to the Barcelona Institute for Global Health’s annual report, published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine.
Only 2022 was deadlier, with over 60,000 heat-related deaths.
Taking temperature and mortality records from 35 countries across the continent, the study showed that countries in southern Europe – Greece, Italy and Spain, as well as Bulgaria – were worst affected by the heat, and older people were most at risk.
More than half the deaths occurred during two periods of high heat in mid-July and August 2023, when Greece battled deadly wildfires.
The report found that heat-related deaths would have been 80 percent higher were it not for action taken by European governments to adapt to hotter summers.
"Our results highlight the importance of historical and ongoing adaptations in saving lives during recent summers," said the authors, pointing to early warning systems and healthcare improvements that can help reduce heat-related deaths.
The report also showed the "urgency for more effective strategies to further reduce the mortality burden of forthcoming hotter summers", they added, urging more proactive measures to combat global warming.
Scientists say that climate change is making extreme weather events like heat waves more frequent, longer and more intense.
Europe, where the United Nations says temperatures are rising faster than the rest of the globe, has experienced a growing number of heat waves since the turn of the century.
(with newswires)
