More than 60,000 people died in Europe due to the heat during the summer of 2022. It is a vast study, published Monday July 10, which affirms it. Scientists are calling for increased efforts to cope with the coming heat waves.
The number of heat-related deaths is not expected to decrease, quite the contrary. According to a study, conducted by scientists from the French National Institute of Health (Inserm) and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and published in Nature Medicine, there were 61,672 deaths from summer 2022.
Italy is the country which experienced the highest number of deaths that summer: 18,010, ahead of Spain (11,324 deaths), Germany (8,173 deaths) and France (4,807 deaths). According to the data, it is in France that the greatest increase in temperature was noted compared to the seasonal averages: +2.43 degrees.
And the forecasts are rather chilling: there could be 68,000 deaths in Europe in six years, and nearly 95,000 by 2040 if nothing is done.
The cause: the extreme heat recorded more and more often, and therefore more often heat waves. To carry out this study, the scientists obtained temperature and mortality data in 823 regions of 35 European countries, representing a total population of more than 543 million people.
The study specifies that the vast majority of deaths are concentrated among those aged 80 and over. Another lesson: heat-attributable mortality was 63% higher among women than among men.
Europe is the continent that is experiencing the most significant warming, up to a degree above the world average. This study proves, according to the scientists, that heat prevention strategies must be reassessed, taking particular account of gender and age. Finally, this study illustrates an urgent need to protect the most vulnerable populations.
(and with AFP)
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