Extreme Heat Killed Nearly 48,000 People in Europe Last Year: Study

2023 was the hottest year globally and Europe’s second-warmest year on record.

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Nearly 48,000 people died in Europe last year due to extreme heat, according to a new study that argues heat-related mortality would have been 80% higher had it not been for modern-day adaptation measures.

In the study period 2014-2023, only 2022 surpassed last year in terms of heat-related deaths with over 60,000 casualties.

Of the 47,690 estimated deaths in 2023, 47,312 occurred between late May and early October, the hottest months of the year, and mostly in Southern European countries including Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, and Portugal. The study, published Monday in Nature Medicine, also found that women and the elderly were disproportionally affected.

Heat-related mortality in Europe has increased by around 30% in the past two decades, while heat-related deaths are estimated to have increased in 94% of the European regions monitored.

Life-Threatening Heat

Extreme heat impacts human health – affecting particularly vulnerable categories including the elderly and infirm, pregnant women, infants, outdoor workers, and athletes.

Stress on human bodies caused by heat prevents normal daily activities and our ability to cool down properly. Areas that generally have more humidity can also put lives at risk. Sweat helps our bodies cool off, but humidity changes the way sweat evaporates from the body. Not being able to cool down puts people’s health at risk, and can lead to increased cardiovascular and respiratory complications, dehydration, heatstroke, higher blood pressure, and sleep deprivation.

Adaptation measures such as early warning systems and heat action plans, cooling centers and increased green spaces and shade areas in cities have prevented thousands of heat-related casualties in recent decades, the study found. However, adaptation is still considered slow in many parts of the world compared to the rapid advance of climate change.

Cities like Hong Kong, where humidity in the summer months often hits 100%, have rolled out heat stress systems to protect outdoor workers. However, they are not always effective. A local NGO recently urged the Hong Kong government to review its Heat Stress at Work Warning system after dozens of interviews with street cleaners and other outdoor workers revealed that 90% of them had experienced tiredness, thirst, headaches, dizziness, rises in body temperature and nausea while working, despite employers offering portable fans, clothing, and drinking water, the Hong Kong Free Press reported.

Warming Planet

The past nine years have been the hottest on record. 2023 was the hottest year globally, with global average temperatures at 1.46C above pre-industrial levels, and Europe’s second-warmest year on record. The world’s fastest-warming continent, which is warming twice as fast as any other continent, saw above-average temperatures for 11 months, a record number of “extreme heat stress” days, and 7% more precipitation than average.

The trend has continued well into 2024, with June becoming the 13th month in a row to see record-breaking temperatures for the respective month. A heatwave affecting many countries bordering the Mediterranean last month was made between 2.5C and 3.3C hotter by fossil fuels. In fact, according to an analysis conducted by World Weather Attribution (WWA), such extreme temperatures would have been “virtually impossible” without human influence on the climate system.

The increase in extreme heat is a direct result of our warming planet. The primary drivers of global warming are greenhouse gasses, which trap heat in the atmosphere, raising Earth’s surface temperature. This leads to longer and hotter heatwaves. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), with further global warming, we can expect an increase in the intensity, frequency and duration of heatwaves.

An October 2023 study warned that heat and humidity levels will reach lethal levels for hours, days, and even weeks in some parts of the world by the end of the century – even below 2C of warming – making it impossible to stay outdoors. 

More on the topic: What Do Heatwaves Tell Us About Climate Change?

Featured image: Chris JL/Flickr.