Dangerously high temperatures could claim the lives of 50% more people in Europe by the end of the century. This has been found by a new study, according to which there could be 80 thousand more deaths each year due to hot weather.
The study tests whether the number of people who will die from heat will be lower than that of those who survive cold weather. Scientists wanted to test this very hypothesis, supported by some people, that global warming is beneficial for society because fewer people will die from low temperatures. "We show clearly that we will see a net increase in deaths under climate change", says Pierre Masselot, quoted by "The Guardian". He is the lead author of the scientific paper, as well as a statistician at the London College of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The analysis tested three possible scenarios of heat waves. It covers only European cities and does not take into account rural areas, which suffer less from the so-called "urban heat island" effect. In this case, urban areas are much warmer than neighboring areas.
In the scenario with the highest temperatures, 2.3 million additional people will die each year due to dangerous temperatures.
The number of deaths is expected to increase the most in southern Europe and especially in the Mediterranean. Another hot spot will be in central Europe and will cover Switzerland, Austria, as well as parts of southern Germany and Poland.
Climate and health expert Madeleine Thompson emphasizes that the increase in deaths is only one of the dangers of rising temperatures. "Extreme heat kills, but it also causes a wide range of serious health problems. It is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, miscarriages and poor mental health," Thompson told the British publication "The Guardian".