Italy, Spain and Germany are the three countries most affected on the continent, accounting for 53% of total deaths. Heat-related mortality last year is believed to have been 80% higher.
More than 47,000 people died in Europe due to the scorching temperatures in 2023according to a report published this Monday by the Institute of Barcelona Global Health (ISGlobal), where the southern countries of that continent were the most affected.
“Last year was the hottest on record. As the climate change As temperatures continue to rise, Europeans live in the fastest warming continent in the world and face increasing health risks from intense heat,” said the report, published in the journal Nature Medicine.
The researchers used records of deaths and temperatures of 35 European countries and they calculated that 47.690 People died due to the high temperatures. By population, Bulgaria, Spain, Greece and Italy were the countries with the highest heat-related mortality rates.
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In addition to the phenomena of records in extreme temperatures, the factor of statistics on the increased mortality of the population. Researchers have tried to measure how the level of social adaptation of these figures and the possible strategies that can be carried out to save lives during the next summers still “hottest“.
Of the 35 countries analyzed in the study, there is a total 47,690 deaths and three countries concentrate approximately the 53% of the cases: first of all Italy with 12.743 deaths, second Spain with 8.352 deaths and Germany with 6.376. Cyprus and Portugal are not far away and thus become the southern region of Europe, the most affected by extreme temperatures.
The mortality burden heat-related deaths over the past year would have been a 80% higher. Studies revealed that the women and the older people are more vulnerable, with a mortality rate of 55% higher in women than in men, and a 768% higher in people over 80 years of age than in those between 65 and 79 years of age.
Source: Ambito
