At the top of the ranking of European cities where the risk of dying from heatwave is highest is a French city. And the reason is very simple…
The deadliest city in Europe in the event of a heatwave would be French, according to a study revealed by British researchers who analyzed the risk of mortality in the face of extreme temperatures in 854 European cities between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2019. For what reasons?
By analyzing weather reports, demographic figures for adults over 20, and the types of infrastructure in each European city, the study reveals that “the city with the highest relative risk from heat is Paris” due to its very strong urban heat island (UHI) effect. “There can be differences of 10 degrees between Paris and surrounding cities,” explains the study’s lead author Pierre Masselot, contacted by 20 Minutes.
The Parisian arrondissements where this kind of dome of warmer air forms the most would be the 2nd and 9th where “the lack of vegetation and also the color of the tar or materials that are very dark absorb the heat,” according to the researcher. The study also revealed that Parisian residents aged over 85 who are most affected by the heatwave see their mortality multiplied by 1.6 when the temperature is higher than normal.
With this notion of urban heat island (UHI), Paris therefore comes top of this ranking of the deadliest cities in the event of a heatwave ahead of Berlin in Germany and Zagreb in Croatia, while London takes the prize for the city where the risk of dying from cold is the highest due to the less well insulated and less well heated housing of the poorest populations.