Climate change tripled the death toll in Europe's latest heatwave

A rapid attribution analysis led by Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine examined the impact of climate change on the recent extreme heatwaves in Europe and the resulting loss of life.

Accordingly, extreme temperatures experienced in 12 European cities, including Milan, Barcelona, ​​Paris, London, Rome, Madrid, Athens, Budapest, Zagreb, Frankfurt, Lisbon and Sassari (Italy), between June 23 and July 2 were 1 to 4 degrees above seasonal norms due to global warming.

During this period, approximately 1,500 of the 2,300 heat-related deaths were due to higher temperatures caused by climate change. Thus, extreme heat triggered by climate change has tripled the death toll.

While the elderly are the group most affected by temperatures, 88 percent of climate change-related deaths were among those aged 65 and over.

On the other hand, it was determined that at least 183 deaths occurred due to heat among people aged 20-64.

Among these cities, Milan had the highest death toll from climate change during the period in question, followed by Barcelona, ​​Paris, and London.

Researchers stress the urgent need to reduce fossil fuel use and achieve net-zero emissions targets to prevent more severe heatwaves and increased deaths, while warning that heat-related deaths could be higher across Europe.

Ben Clarke, a researcher at the Center for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, commented on the analysis, stating that heatwaves don't leave devastating scars like fires or storms, but their effects are "silently devastating." He said, "A difference of just 2-3 degrees in temperatures can be the difference between life and death for thousands of people. Even today, when global temperature increases are 1.3 degrees above pre-industrial levels, we are at this point. This temperature increase could reach 3 degrees by the end of the century."

Friederike Otto, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London, also noted that burning more oil, coal and gas would lead to more casualties, and noted:

"The only way to prevent Europe's heatwaves from becoming even deadlier is to stop burning fossil fuels. Switching to renewable energy, building cities resilient to extreme heat and protecting the poorest and most vulnerable people could save thousands of lives every year."