175,000 Europeans die each year from heat-related causes, warns WHO

He extreme heat is killing the more than 175,000 people a year in Europaas stated this Thursday by the World Health Organization (OMS).

Globally, there have been around 489,000 heat-related deaths each year between 2000 and 2019, and people are paying the “ultimate price” for climate inaction. Europe is the fastest warming continent on Earthand to which corresponds most of the world’s deaths.

The dire assessment by the United Nations agency comes days after UN Secretary-General António Guterres made a call to action against extreme heat.

“Billions of people face a extreme heat epidemic: they wither under increasingly deadly heat waves, with temperatures exceeding 50 ºC around the world (…) halfway to boiling,” he declared on July 25, after three days of record heat.

“Extreme heat is the new abnormal,” he added, pointing to the “climate change “human-induced, fossil fuel-laden” as the cause. “But the good news is that we can save lives and limit their impact“he said, then giving solutions in four critical areas.

How is extreme heat claiming lives in Europe?

Las temperatures in Europe are increasing approximately double the world average. “Across the region, in its 53 Member States, people are paying the highest price,” says WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge.

Of the approximately 489,000 people who die each year from extreme heat, Europa houses the 36% of them, about 176,040 people. Guterres described how The scorching conditions have “closed the sights in the sudorific cities of Europe” this summer.

Los three warmer years registered in Europe have occurred since 2020and the 10 hottest years since 2007. Over the past 20 years, there has been a 30% spike in heat-related mortality, with deaths increasing in almost every country.

As a result, the thermal stress It is the leading cause of climate-related death in Europe. Extreme temperatures aggravate chronic diseasessuch as cardiovascular, respiratory and cerebrovascular, mental health and diabetes-related conditions, explains Dr. Kluge.

Extreme heat is a problem especially for old people, especially those who live alone. It can also place an additional burden on pregnant women.

How can we protect ourselves from extreme heat?

“The truth is that the harmful health effects of heat can largely prevented by good public health practicesso if we are better prepared for a warmer region, we will save many lives, both now and in the future,” says Dr. Kluge.

At the national level, more than 20 European countries count on heat action plans and health to help its citizens adapt to this deadly facet of climate change.

However, the WHO warns that More must be done to protect communities. From its European Center for Environment and Health in Bonn, Germany, the health agency is developing an updated guide to action plans to help governments prepare.

but there is many personal measures what can you take to take care of yourself and your loved ones. WHO’s annual #KeepCool campaign outlines four key ways:

1. Stay away from heat: Avoid going out and doing strenuous activities during the hottest hours of the day. Stay in the shade and do not leave children or animals in parked vehicles. If necessary and possible, spend 2-3 hours a day in a cool place, such as a supermarket or movie theater.
2. Keep your home cool: Use the night air to cool your home. Reduce the thermal load inside your home or hotel room during the day by using blinds or shutters.
3. Keep the body cool and hydrated: Wear light, loose clothing and light bedding, take cool showers or baths and drink water regularly, avoiding sugary, alcoholic or caffeinated drinks due to their dehydrating effect on the body.
4. Take care of yourself and others– Keep an eye on family, friends and neighbors, especially the elderly, who spend much of their time alone.

How can the world save people from heat-related deaths?

In his speech last week in New York, the UN chief outlined four areas of action fundamental. First of all, the care for the most vulnerable. With oppressive heat amplifying inequality, the UN chief has some leveling solutions in mind, such as greater access to low-carbon cooling.

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They must also expand early warning systems. And developed countries must deliver on their adaptation funding promises to help developing countries protect their citizens from unbearable temperatures.

The second point of Guterres’ call is to strengthen the worker protection. “The Europe and Central Asia region has seen the most rapid increase in the exposure of its workforce to excessive heat,” she said.

Since excessive heat is the cause of nearly 23 million workplace injuries worldwide, it is essential that laws and regulations be updated and applied based on human rights.

Related to the above, the third item on the UN chief’s agenda was increase the resilience of economies and societies. Tailored “heat action plans” are part of the answer, she said, using science and data to “heat-proof” economies, critical sectors and the built environment. And finally, what it all boils down to: limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

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“To deal with all these symptoms (droughts, forest fires, rising sea levels too), we have to fight the disease,” he declared. “The disease is the madness of incinerating our only home. The disease is fossil fuel addiction. The disease is climate inaction“.

He also denounced the expansion of fossil fuels in some of the richest countries in the world, and urged all nations to present before next year national climate action plans that are in line with the objective of not exceeding 1.5 ºC.