Increase in Human-Induced Heatwaves Tripled European Summer Mortality Rates, According to Recent Study

In a sobering reminder of the devastating impact of climate change, a new study has highlighted the alarming rise in heat-related deaths across several European cities. The research, conducted by a team of scientists from universities in the UK and Switzerland, provides a snapshot of the human toll caused by extreme heat.

Dr. Courtney Howard, a Canadian emergency room physician and the chair of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, emphasized the urgency of reducing fossil fuel use, stating that it is one of the most important public health interventions of our time.

The study, which analyzed historic weather data and climate models, revealed that human-caused global warming made the heat waves between 4 and 6.5 degrees Fahrenheit hotter. The analysis showed that this warming tripled the death toll from heat waves in Europe compared to a climate unaltered by industrial carbon dioxide pollution and destructive land use practices.

The city most affected by heat-related deaths caused by global warming from June to August 2022 was in Spain, where thousands, especially elderly people, died from heat. Over a thousand deaths were estimated in August alone. The heatwave lasted nearly continuously from mid-June to mid-August, with temperatures reaching over 40 degrees Celsius even in northern areas.

The study attributed 68 percent of the heat deaths to human-caused warming. Most of these deaths were people older than 65. Dr. Howard noted that public health has not been able to fully keep up with the rapidly increasing pace of climate change impacts.

One of the challenges in accurately measuring heat-related deaths is that they are often misclassified. Dr. Howard explained that most people who die in a heat wave aren't recorded as heat deaths, but as heart attacks or strokes, with heat being the hidden trigger. There is a work in progress to better log diagnostic codes within medicine and public health to account for the effects of heat waves.

The first extreme heat wake-up call for Europe was in 2003, when a long heatwave also killed an estimated 70,000 people. The new study, released on Wednesday, estimated that heat killed 387 in Madrid, 360 in Bucharest, 315 in London, and 140 in Berlin.

Dr. Howard stressed that there are limits to adaptation in healthcare systems to cope with the current temperatures caused by global warming. She also stated that many curriculum studies worldwide show that most doctors and medical students have not learned about the health impacts of global warming.

The researchers warned that their calculations provide only a snapshot of the human devastation caused by extreme heat. The calculations do not account for the long-term effects of climate change, such as the increased frequency and severity of heatwaves, nor do they account for the impact in regions not covered by the study.

Despite not participating in the new report, Dr. Howard expressed concern about the human devastation caused by extreme heat. She urged for immediate action to reduce fossil fuel use and mitigate the effects of climate change on public health.

Increase in Human-Induced Heatwaves Tripled European Summer Mortality Rates, According to Recent Study