Europe records over 50,000 heat-related deaths this summer
According to a new study, over 50,000 people died as a result of scorching heatwaves that gripped Europe this summer, Qazinform News Agency cites WAM reports.
Researchers modelled heat-related deaths for different age groups in 854 European cities during repeated heat waves in June, July and August and found that 50,391 people died from warmer temperatures, and of those, 32,619 died because of the extra heat caused by the burning of coal, oil and gas, according to a study in an upcoming issue of Nature Health.
That’s 71 percent higher than the previous deadliest summer, which was 29,480 in 2022, according to the same researchers, who produced a study earlier this month tracking yearly summer heat-related deaths in those European cities.
This summer’s death figures are underestimates because they don’t count a deadly heat wave in May, and they only look at deaths in those 854 cities, which are about 40 percent of Europe’s population, the study authors said.
As written before, the impact varied considerably across Europe, with southern and southeastern parts of the continent recording the highest estimated heat-related death rates relative to population.
Croatia had the highest average rate, with an estimated 327 heat-related deaths per million residents over the study period. Malta followed with 226 deaths per million, and Romania with 223.
Among European capitals, Zagreb, Bucharest and Rome had the highest average annual heat-related death rates during the period studied.
The researchers also found that the proportion of heat-related deaths attributable to climate change increased over time in all 30 countries included in the analysis, although the scale of the impact differed by location.