More than 47000 people died in Europe in 2023 as a result of climate change effect

 In 2023, more than 47,000 people died in Europe due to heat waves. Southern countries of the region were hit the hardest by the intense heat wave. The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (IS Global) published a report on August 15, 2024 with this information.

Europeans are among the hardest hit in the world as temperatures continue to rise as a result of climate change. Countries face increasing health risks arising from extreme heat.

According to a report by a Spanish research center, the number of deaths in 2023 due to exacerbations will increase significantly. Deaths would have been 80% higher if people hadn’t prepared or adapted to rising temperatures in the past 20 years.

Elisa Gallo, a researcher and author at IS Global, stated that the study’s results demonstrate how social adaptation processes have been influenced by extreme temperatures in the present century.

As a result, severe summer heat-related morbidity and mortality have decreased dramatically in recent years. Especially among the elderly.’

The researchers looked at death and temperature records from 35 European countries. They estimate that 47 thousand 690 people died due to high temperature.

Adjusted for population data, heat-related death rates were highest in Greece, Bulgaria, Italy and Spain.