More than 47,000 Europeans perished from heat-related causes in 2023, the world’s warmest year on record, according to a new study published in Nature Medicine. However, the number of heat-related deaths in Europe may have been significantly higher.

According to the current study, if heat adaption techniques had not been implemented over the previous two decades, the mortality toll for Europeans facing similar temperatures at the start of the twenty-first century may have been 80 per cent higher. For persons over the age of 80, the heat-related deaths in Europe may have doubled.

Some of the efforts included innovations in health care, more ubiquitous air conditioning, and more significant public information to keep people indoors and hydrated during high heat.

“We need to consider climate change as a health issue,” said Elisa Gallo, the study’s principal author and postdoctoral researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, a non-profit research centre. “We still have thousands of deaths caused by heat every year, so we still have to work a lot, and we have to work faster.”

Counting heat-related deaths in Europe is challenging, partly because death certificates do not usually include the impact of heat. The study examined publicly available mortality information from 35 nations published by Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics office, representing around 543 million Europeans.

The researchers used an epidemiology model to analyse the heat related deaths in Europe and 2023 weekly temperature recordings to determine what percentage of deaths could be attributed to heat.

“We’re rapidly approaching the limits of what the human body can withstand,” said Jordan Clark, a senior policy associate at Duke University’s Heat Policy Innovation Hub who was not involved in the research. He stated that as the earth continues to warm, “we’re racing against the clock.”

As global temperatures rise, heat waves become more severe and last longer. Dr Clark suggested that ending our dependency on fossil fuels would be an essential mitigation measure.

Dr. Gallo stated that people have been compelled to change their behaviour in reaction to heat over the last two decades. Other policy reforms, including better urban design, more green spaces, increased investment in renewable energy and public transportation, and lower greenhouse gas emissions, could also help with adaptation.

“Adaptation has led to fewer deaths,” said Joan Ballester, associate research professor of climate and health at the Barcelona Institute and study co-author. He explained that the term “adaptation” has a broad meaning. It encompasses anything that makes a group less vulnerable to heat.

However, experts say it is more difficult to identify the exact adaptation strategies or policies that made the most difference than estimating mortality.

The study found that the countries with the highest incidence of heat-related mortality had the warmest temperatures for the most extended periods, including high nighttime temperatures.

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