The summer of 2022 was the hottest on record across Europe, with intense heat waves.
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Rising temperatures, with deadly consequences for the most fragile. Summer 2022, the hottest ever recorded in Europe, with its intense heat waves, led to the death of 61,672 people across the Old Continent between May 30 and September 4. This is revealed by a study carried out by researchers from Inserm and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, published on Monday July 10 in the journal NatureMedicine.
Although excess mortality during periods of high temperatures has already been documented, this is the first time that it has been so precisely quantified on a European scale, insists Inserm. To do this, the researchers relied on temperature and mortality records in 823 regions of 35 European countries (543 million people) between 2015 and 2022. With 4,807 deaths attributable to heat, France is the fourth European country most affected by these high summer temperatures, after Italy (18,010), Spain (11,324) and Germany (8,173).
Women generally more exposed
The study authors noted that in 2022, “temperatures were above average during all weeks of the summer period”. They also identified one week in particular, that of July 18 to 24. In just seven days, a particularly intense heat wave swept across the continent and led to “a total of 11,637 deaths attributed to excess heat”according to Inserm.
This study also analyzed the number of deaths attributable to high temperatures according to age and sex. It reveals that this premature mortality was 63% higher among women than among men in the population as a whole (all age groups combined). The authors note, however, that for those under 65, the death rate for men is 41% higher than for women. And, between 65 and 79, it is 13% higher.
“Across Europe (…) the vast majority of deaths are concentrated in the age group of 80 years and over”note the researchers. “These results suggest that the heatwave coping strategies we have today may still be insufficient.”concludes Inserm.