More than 47,000 people died in Europe last year due to heat, report says

A cyclist cools off at a fountain at Madrid Rio park during the second day of the heatwave, in Madrid, Spain, July 25, 2024. /Ana Beltran/File Photo

MADRID - More than 47,000 people died in Europe due to scorching temperatures in 2023, with countries in the region's south hit the hardest, according to a report by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) published on Monday.

Last year was the world's hottest on record. As climate change continues to increase temperatures, Europeans live in the world's fastest-warming continent, facing growing health risks stemming from intense heat.

The 2023 death toll - below the more than 60,000 heat-related deaths estimated for the previous year - would have been 80% higher without measures introduced in the past 20 years to help people adapt to rising temperatures, such as early warning systems and healthcare improvements, according to the report by the Spanish research centre.

"Our results show how there have been societal adaptation processes to high temperatures during the present century, which have dramatically reduced the heat-related vulnerability and mortality burden of recent summers, especially among the elderly," said Elisa Gallo, researcher at ISGlobal and lead author of the study.

Researchers used death and temperature records from 35 European countries. They estimate that 47,690 died from causes related to high temperatures.

Adjusting the data for population, Greece, Bulgaria, Italy and Spain were the countries with the highest mortality rates related to heat.

-(Reuters)