High temperatures, which scientists say are being made worse by man-made carbon emissions, caused nearly 50,000 deaths in Europe last year, according to a study published Monday.
The Barcelona Institute for Global Health study estimates that 47,690 people died in heat-related deaths during the world's warmest year and the second warmest on record in Europe.
Over the past decade, 2022 alone was deadlier, according to the annual report, with more than 60,000 heat-related deaths.
Published in the magazine Natural medicineThe study analyzed temperature and mortality records from 35 countries across the continent.
The authors highlighted that older people are most at risk and that southern European countries are the most affected by the heat.
More than half of the deaths occurred during two periods of extreme heat in mid-July and August, when Greece was battling deadly wildfires. On July 18, temperatures reached 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) in Sicily.
The report cautioned that the headline figure was an estimate, adding that it was 95% confident that the mortality burden was between 28,853 and 66,525.
But it also found that heat-related deaths would have been 80% higher had it not been for measures taken by European governments in the 21st century to adapt to hotter summers.
“Our results highlight the importance of historical and current adaptations in saving lives during recent summers,” the authors said.
The report also highlighted the “urgency of more effective strategies to further reduce the mortality burden from upcoming hotter summers,” they added, urging more proactive measures to combat global warming.
Europe, where temperatures are rising faster than the rest of the world, according to the United Nations, has experienced a growing number of often deadly heat waves since the turn of the century.
Scientists say climate change is making extreme weather events such as heat waves more frequent, longer and more intense.
