Deaths triple due to heatwaves in Europe

It is estimated that 16,500 people died in Europe this summer due to extreme heat.

The study, conducted by researchers from Imperial College London and the School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine using climate modelling before official data was released, is based on estimates, not recorded deaths in European cities.

To see the link between extreme heat and recorded deaths this summer, the UK-based research team estimated that temperatures in 854 European cities rose by an average of 2.2 degrees Celsius between June and August.

Analyzing past data showing how such temperature increases increase mortality rates, researchers concluded that summer deaths in these European cities could be 24,400 more.

This number was then compared with estimated deaths if the average temperature hadn't increased by 1.3 degrees Celsius due to climate change. The result was that 70 percent of the estimated excess deaths in European cities this summer, or 16,500, were attributable to global warming. This represents a threefold increase in deaths caused by heat caused by climate change.

The research team also examined the heat wave experienced in Europe at the end of June using the same method and reached a similar conclusion.

Recorded death toll may be higher

Because it takes a long time for many countries to release official data, the study didn't compare the deaths and their causes to the ones already recorded. Friederike Otto, a member of the research team, said that while accurate statistics are currently unavailable, the estimates are within the appropriate range.

Akshay Deoras of the University of Reading in England also said the number of heat-related deaths in Europe this summer could be higher.

According to the study, Rome has the highest estimated number of deaths related to climate change, with 835. This is followed by Athens with 630 and Paris with 409. More than 85 percent of those who lost their lives are estimated to be people aged 65 and over.

"Heatwaves are silent killers," said Garyfallos Konstantinoudis , a member of the research team, adding that a 2- to 4-degree temperature increase could lead to the deaths of thousands. This year was the fourth hottest summer on record in Europe.