Within three decades, heatwaves were linked to more than 150,000 deaths per year in 43 countries across five continents, according to a new study published in PLOS Medicine.
Lead author Yuming Guo, head of the Climate & Air Quality Research Unit at Monash University, Australia, and colleagues analyzed data related to heatwave deaths that took place from 1990 to 2019 and found that this extreme weather event claimed the lives of 153,078 people every year. More specifically, heatwaves accounted for 1% of global deaths or a total of 236 deaths for every ten million residents.
“Evidence shows that the global warming trend is accelerating, which has resulted in 19 of the 20 hottest years since 1880 occurring after 2000. In line with climate change, the Lancet Countdown 2022 Report estimated that the heat-related mortality for the elderly over 65 years increased by 68% from 2000–2004 to 2017–2021,” the authors wrote. “Direct outcomes of a heatwave include heat exhaustion, heat cramps, and heatstroke. The decompensated heat stress can also aggravate preexisting chronic conditions, leading to premature deaths, and psychiatric disorders.”
“We observed major clusters of heatwave-related excess deaths over the 30 years in Eastern and Southern Asia, Eastern and Southern Europe, and areas close to the Gulf of Guinea in Africa,” they added. “This finding indicates the arduous task for the international communities to cooperate with local governments in developing specific adaptation strategies to reduce the global heatwave vulnerability.”
Of the 153,078 deaths reported, 48.95% of deaths had occurred in Asia, followed by 31.56% in Europe, 13.82% in Africa, 5.37% in America, and 0.28% in Oceania. Although Asia reported the highest number of heatwave deaths, Europe had the most significantly highest death rate at 655 deaths for every ten million residents. Among European countries, Italy, Malta, and Greece recorded the highest excess death ratios between 1990 to 2019.
Most importantly, Guo and team highlighted that thanks to climate change, no area of the world — whether in the Global North or Global South — is immune from heatwave-related deaths and that the socioeconomic costs of heatwaves are extremely likely to shoot up in the future.
However, a major limitation of this study is that the researchers did not have access to daily death data from South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula.
A World Health Organization survey revealed that out of 101 countries, only half had announced nationwide plans on health and climate change. To make matters worse, only four countries have adequate funds to implement those plans.
“In comparison to 1850 to 1990, the global surface temperature has increased by 1.14°C from 2013 to 2022 and is expected to increase by another 0.41 to 3.41°C by 2081 to 2100. With a growing understanding of climate change’s threat and the inadequate preparation, intergovernmental actions should prioritize building adaptation and resilience, with consideration of national/subnational inequalities and the distribution of vulnerable populations,” the authors explained.
“These findings indicate the potential benefit of government actions to enhance health sector adaptation and resilience, accounting for inequalities across communities,” they concluded.
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