Study: 47,690 deaths from heat in Europe in 2023
The study authors emphasized that the figure in question was an estimate. With 95% probability, the number of heat-related deaths in Europe in 2023 would likely fall between 28,853 and 66,525.
For the study, temperature records and death tolls from 35 European countries were analyzed. The authors noted that the elderly were at highest risk. More than half of the recorded heat-related deaths occurred during heatwaves between mid-July and August 2023.
During this period, temperatures reached 44 degrees Celsius in Sicily on July 18, while wildfires raged in Greece, resulting in several fatalities. Besides southern European countries, other countries like the Baltic states also suffered from extreme heat.
The study authors also underscored that the number of deaths would have been 80% higher without state adaptation measures. They called for "additional effective strategies" to reduce future death tolls. The authors attributed the increased number of heat victims to human-induced climate change, stressing the need for proactive measures to combat global warming.
Meanwhile, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported in its monthly bulletin that the previous month was the warmest July on record. This marked the 14th consecutive month with record temperatures. Global temperatures were 1.21°C above the 20th-century average of 15.8°C. The likelihood of 2024 being the warmest year on record was 77%.
The EU's Earth observation program, Copernicus, using different data, reported last week that July was slightly cooler than the previous year. The average temperature was 16.91°C, 0.04°C below the previous record set in July 2023.
Both agencies agreed that the record temperatures indicated a concerning trend.
According to NOAA, which has data going back 175 years, 2024 would certainly be one of the five warmest years on record. The agency cited a series of heatwaves in the Mediterranean and Gulf states. Copernicus and U.S. scientists also agreed that ocean temperatures in July were the second warmest on record.
Europe has experienced an increasing number of heatwaves since the beginning of the century. According to the United Nations, temperatures in Europe are rising faster than in other parts of the world.
The European Union (EU) has been closely monitoring the rising temperatures and heat-related mortality rates in Europe. In response to the increasing number of heatwaves, the EU has implemented various adaptation measures to reduce future heat-related deaths.
The European Union (EU) has also emphasized the role of human-induced climate change in exacerbating heatwaves and heat-related health issues across Europe, calling for proactive measures to combat global warming.
