A new international study has determined that climate change caused by human activity was responsible for some 1,500 additional deaths during the recent heat wave that hit Europe at the end of June. The research, led by scientists from the Imperial College of London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, is the first to calculate excess heat mortality attributable to climate change in a single extreme episode.
The analysis focused on 12 major European cities, including Madrid and Barcelona, during the ten days of extreme temperatures between June 23 and July 2. According to experts, global warming, mainly caused by burning fossil fuels and deforestation, raised the temperatures of the heat wave between 1 and 4 degrees Celsius above what would have been normal in a world without climate change.
In total, researchers estimate that some 2,300 people died in those cities because of extreme heat. Of them, approximately 1,500 deaths – 65% of excess mortality – are attributed directly to global warming. In Barcelona, the study calculates that 286 deaths due to excess heat were a consequence of climate change, while in Madrid the figure amounts to 108.
The most affected city in absolute terms was Milan, with 317 deaths attributable to excessive heat due to climate change, while Madrid stands out in relative terms, since more than 90% of the deaths linked to heat in the Spanish capital are attributed to global warming. On the contrary, Lisbon was the least affected city in proportion, with only 23% of heat deaths directly related to climate change.
The study also reveals that more than 80% of estimated heat deaths occurred between people over 65, which underlines the special vulnerability of this population group in the face of heat waves intensified by climate change.
“The climate change Mata. It is intensifying the heat waves and leading to the limit to vulnerable people,” said one of the professors of the College Empire, Garyfallo Konstantinudi after making known the results.
Unusually early
The researchers warn that the 2025 heat wave arrived unusually early in the season, which made it even more lethal, since the population was not acclimatized at such high temperatures. In addition, they emphasize that events of this magnitude, which were previously exceptional, can now be expected every 2 to 5 years in most cities analyzed, due to global warming.
Even small temperature increases can cause large mortality rebounds, especially among people with previous health problems. Scientists warn that the real heat impact is usually undervalued, since many deaths are not notified and official data may take months to be published. The climatologist Friederike Otto warns that the only way to prevent heat waves being even more deadly is “to burn fossil fuels and protect the most vulnerable.”
The authors insist on the urgency of implementing action plans and early warning systems, as well as adapting cities with more green spaces and climatic shelters, to protect the most vulnerable population from the planned increase in extreme heat episodes in the coming decades.
“To the rhythm to which the planet is heated, the heat waves are not going to disappear and we have to prepare for its effects on public health,” concludes the researcher of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Pierre Masselot. “Cities can adapt by planting trees, reducing the space for cars and attending to the most vulnerable – insists the scientist – but, ultimately, the best way to avoid disastrous consequences is to aggressively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Source: www.eldiario.es
