2023 was the hottest year since records exist. High temperatures had tragic consequences for many. According to research published in the renowned journal Nature Medicine, in Europe alone in the past year, more than 47 thousand people died as a result of the heat.
Most of the victims are in southern Europe
Scientists rely on Eurostat data. According to them, in 2023, the victims of the heat were 47,690, which makes it the second deadliest year according to this indicator after 2022, when they were over 60 thousand.
The countries with the highest death rates due to high temperatures are in Southern Europe - Greece (393 deaths per million inhabitants), Bulgaria (229), Italy (209) and Spain (175). In Germany, 76 people died per million population. In terms of absolute number, however, Germany ranks third with 6,376 deaths. In front of it are Spain - 8,352 and Italy - 12,750. In almost all countries, significantly more women become victims of the heat than men. Most died in old age.
If measures were not taken, the casualties could have been twice as many
More than half of the recorded deaths occurred during the heatwaves between mid-July and August 2023. During this period, for example, on July 18 Sicily was measured at 44 degrees Celsius, and in Greece forest fires raged which also claimed lives.
The research team, led by Elisa Gayo from Barcelona, concluded that if appropriate climate adaptation measures had not been implemented, the death rate could have been 80% higher, and for the elderly - even 100%. "Our results show that societal adaptation processes to high temperatures have taken place this century, which have dramatically reduced heat-related vulnerability and mortality since recent summers, especially among older people," explains Gaillot, quoted by ARD. Today, people are less vulnerable to heat than at the turn of the century, Gaillot said, "which is likely due to general socioeconomic progress, improvements in individual behavior and public health measures such as prevention plans the heat introduced after the record heat of 2003"