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Countries in Europe reported over 10,000 excess deaths during the extreme heatwaves that baked the west of the continent towards the end of June, new data shows.
The vast majority of the fatalities, in excess of 9,000, were recorded among those aged 65 and over, according to data published by EuroMOMO, the European mortality monitor which is backed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organisation.
The European heatwaves have seen temperature records broken in several countries across Europe and have caused thousands of excess deaths, according to estimates in Belgium, Britain, France and Spain.
The June heatwaves would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change, the World Weather Attribution group of scientists said.
More than 2,700 died as result of heatwaves in England
Meanwhile, at least 2,700 people died in England and Wales as a result of heatwaves that struck in May and June, according to a study released on Monday.
Experts from Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine used weather data, climate models and studies on excess mortality during heatwaves to arrive at their estimate.
The UK and most of Europe experienced two unprecedented heatwaves in May and June, with monthly records set at 35.1°C and 37.7°C, respectively, in England.
“They were extreme heatwaves for the UK, and for all parts of western Europe, and they’re particularly exceptional for the timing and how early in the year they occurred,” Mark McCarthy, science manager of the Met’s climate attribution team, was quoted as saying in the study.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will publish its official estimate of heat-related deaths in the coming weeks, based on death records from recent heatwaves.
The models in the study released Monday “help illustrate the scale of risk associated with extreme heat and the growing threat climate change poses to our wellbeing,” said Lea Berrang Ford, head of UKHSA’s Centre for Climate and Health Security.
The study estimates that around 550 people died as a result of the heat between 21-29 May, and nearly 2,200 died between 18-28 June in England and Wales.
The authors emphasise the role of climate change, which is making heatwaves more intense and frequent.
They estimate that maximum daytime temperatures were 3°C to 4°C higher than they would have been without global warming.
The Climate Change Committee (CCC), the body responsible for advising the government on climate change, warned last year that the UK was “not ready” to deal with the consequences of climate change.
In a report published in May, it estimated that 92% of British homes could be too hot by 2050 and recommended that the government set maximum temperature limits in the workplace, as well as investing in air conditioning for public buildings such as hospitals and schools.
Additional sources • AFP