HOT WEATHER WILL LEAD TO 90,000 DEATHS IN EUROPE BY 2100 -EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

Sat 12 November 2022:

Extreme weather conditions are increasingly common. If nothing is done, heatwaves might cause the deaths of 90,000 Europeans each year, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA).

This warning was issued as the World Health Organization reported on earlier this week that at least 15,000 deaths had been linked to the hot weather in Europe so far this year.

The three months of June through August were the hottest in Europe and as a result of the record-breaking heat, the continent experienced its worst drought since the Middle Ages.

“Without adaptation measures, and under a scenario of 3 degrees Celsius global warming by 2100, 90,000 Europeans could die from extreme heat annually,” said EEA. The number falls to 30,000 if the warming is limited to 1.5 C.

“With 1.5 degrees C global warming, this is reduced to 30,000 deaths annually.”

According to the agency, 129,000 Europeans perished from heat-related causes between 1980 and 2020. The figure is based on insurance data.

This number, however, is expected to rise in the coming years, especially in the south of the continent, due to more frequent heatwaves connected to climate change, an ageing population, and growing urbanization, it said.

Beyond the threat of heat itself, the EEA warned that climate change could also increase Europe’s susceptibility to infectious diseases like malaria and dengue fever.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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