Scorching Heat Claimed Over 47000 Lives in Europe in 2023

Scorching summer heat claimed the lives of more than 47,000 people in Europe in 2023. Most deaths occurred in countries in Europe’s southern region. This was stated in a report by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).

According to reports, 2023 was the world’s hottest on record. As climate change continues to increase temperatures, Europe has become the world’s fastest-warming continent.

The 2022, more than 60,000 heat-related deaths were estimated to have happened in Europe. Measures introduced in the past 20 years to help people adapt to rising temperatures, such as early warning systems and healthcare improvements, reduced the deaths in 2023, according to the report. Researchers used death and temperature records from 35 European countries and estimated that 47,690 persons died from causes related to high temperatures.

Greece, Bulgaria, Italy and Spain recorded the highest mortality rates related to heat.