Heatwave Fatalities Soar: Europe Sees 30% Spike in Deaths

Europe is experiencing increasingly severe heatwaves that are proving too intense for the human body to handle, leading to a 30 percent increase in heat-related deaths over the past two decades, according to recent findings from the EU’s Copernicus climate monitoring service and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Released on Monday (Apr 22), the report highlighted the acute dangers of extreme heat, especially for vulnerable groups such as outdoor workers, the elderly, and individuals with pre-existing health conditions like cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

In 2023, extreme heatwaves escalated heat stress to strong, very strong, or extreme levels across 41 percent of Southern Europe, marking the largest coverage of such conditions recorded in a single day.

Europe, currently the fastest-warming continent globally, recorded last year as the hottest year on record. The severe temperatures notably affected Italy, where a notable 7 percent increase in deaths occurred in July. Among the casualties was a 44-year-old man who tragically died while painting road markings in the town of Lodi.

The report further elaborates on “feels like” temperatures, which reached more than 46 degrees Celsius in parts of Spain, France, Italy, and Greece for up to ten days. These temperatures are critical thresholds where the risk of heatstroke and other health complications significantly increases. This “feels like” measure considers several factors, including temperature, humidity, and the body’s physiological response to heat.

Researchers attribute these extreme heat conditions primarily to greenhouse gas emissions, though phenomena like the El Niño weather pattern also contribute.

Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, expressed concern over the unexpected intensity, rapid onset, reach, and duration of the 2023 heat events, which caught even the scientific community off guard.

In response, the EU’s environment agency last month called on governments to bolster healthcare systems in preparation for climate change and advocated for new EU regulations to better protect outdoor workers from the dangers of extreme heat.