Around 2,300 people in 12 European cities died from the intense heatwave that ended last week. This is the result of an express scientific analysis published today, July 9, UNN reports with reference to Reuters.
Details
The study focused on ten days, the last of which was July 2, during which significant parts of Western Europe suffered from extreme heat, with temperatures in Spain exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104°F) and forest fires breaking out in France.
According to the study conducted by scientists from Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, of the 2,300 people estimated to have died during this period, 1,500 deaths were linked to climate change, which made the heat even more severe.
Climate change has made temperatures significantly hotter than they would otherwise be, which, in turn, makes them much more dangerous
The study covered 12 cities, including Barcelona, Madrid, London, and Milan, where, according to researchers, climate change increased temperatures during the heatwave by up to 4 degrees Celsius.
Researchers used established epidemiological models and historical mortality data to estimate the number of deaths, which reflects deaths where heat was the primary cause of mortality, particularly if the impact exacerbated pre-existing conditions.
Scientists said they used peer-reviewed methods to quickly determine an approximate number of deaths, as most heat-related deaths are not officially recorded, and some governments do not publish this data.
Last month was the planet's third hottest June on record, trailing only the same month in 2024 and 2023, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service said in its monthly bulletin on Wednesday.
Western Europe experienced its warmest June on record, with much of the region experiencing "very strong heat stress," defined as conditions where the temperature feels like 38 degrees Celsius or higher, Copernicus reported.
Researchers from European health institutes reported in 2023 that, according to a new study, up to 61,000 people may have died in Europe during a grueling heatwave in 2022, indicating that countries' efforts to prepare for heat are fatally insufficient.
The accumulation of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, mostly from burning fossil fuels, means that the planet's average temperature has increased over time. This increase in baseline temperatures means that when a heatwave occurs, temperatures can reach higher peaks.
Addition
Extreme heat caused a critical drop in water levels in rivers in Central and Eastern Europe. In Hungary, the water level in the Tisza decreased by 60%, and in the Danube by 40%, which led to the suspension of ferry services between Bulgaria and Romania.