Heat Contributed to 47,000 Deaths in Europe Last Year. Relief Programs Helped

"A new study shows how deadly warming can be, and how behavioral and social changes can reduce mortality."

"More than 47,000 Europeans died from heat-related causes during 2023, the world’s hottest year on record, a new report in Nature Medicine has found.

But the number could have been much higher.

Without heat adaptation measures over the past two decades, the death toll for Europeans experiencing the same temperatures at the start of the 21st century could have been 80 percent higher, according to the new study. For people over 80 years old, the toll could have doubled.

Some of the measures include advances in health care, more widespread air-conditioning, and improved public information that kept people indoors and hydrated amid extreme temperatures."

Austyn Gaffney reports for the New York Times August 12, 2024.

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"More Than 47,000 People Died In Europe Last Year Due To Heat, Report Says" (Reuters)

Source: NYTimes, 08/13/2024