More Than Half of Heat Deaths Can Be Blamed on Global Warming: Study

Follow Drugslib on

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Oct 29, 2024.

By Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Oct. 29, 2024 -- Researchers looking at the sweltering European summer of 2022 estimated that more than half of the heat-linked deaths occurring on the continent would not have happened if human-led climate change wasn't in place.

"Without strong action, record temperatures and heat-related mortality will continue to rise in the coming years,” said study senior author Joan Ballester Claramunt. He's an associate research professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, in Spain.

According to collected data, over 68,000 people lost their lives to heat-related factors in Europe during the summer of 2022.

The Barcelona team first tracked "global mean surface temperature anomalies between 1880 and 2022," to get a sense of how human activity has been warming the planet over time.

They then calculated the difference in what temperatures would have been if there had been no human-mediated (anthropogenic) global warming, versus actual recorded temperatures.

Using that data, they modeled expected heat-related deaths (in the absence of climate change) versus the number of Europeans who died from heat in the summer of 2022.

The result: 56% of those deaths were caused by the excessive high temperatures brought about by anthropogenic climate change, the Spanish team found.

That's an excess of more than 38,000 fatalities in 32 European countries during the summer of 2022.

Excessive temperatures appeared to be more deadly for women than men and for the elderly (those aged 80 and older) versus the young, the study also found.

“This study sheds light on the extent to which global warming impacts public health," study first author Thessa Beck, a meteorologist and climatologist at the Barcelona institute, said in an institute news release.

The findings were published Oct. 29 in the journal npj Climate and Atmospheric Science.

Sources

  • Barcelona Institute for Global Health, news release, Oct. 29,2022

    • Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

    Source: HealthDay

    Posted : 2024-10-30 00:00

    Read more

    Disclaimer

    Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

    The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

    Popular Keywords