About 2,300 people may have died during the recent heatwave in 12 cities in Europe, from the causes associated with the heat, according to a scientific analysis published today.

The survey focused on 10 daysAs of July 2 until last week the phenomenon ended and covers 12 cities in Europe – including Barcelona, ​​Madrid, London and Milan – where researchers say that due to climate change the temperature was 4 ° C.

During the heat, large parts of Western Europe were affected by extreme heat, with temperatures exceeding 40 ° C in Spain and large forest fires erupting in France.

By them 2,300 people estimated to have lost their lives During this time, 1,500 deaths would not have occurred if there was no climate change, which made the wave of heat even more intense, according to Imperial College London and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

“Climate change has made the planet significantly warmer than it would, which in turn makes it much more dangerous,” said Dr. Ben Clark at the Imperial College.

“We estimate that overheating inflicted the heat wave by 2 to 4 ° C in most cities,” mainly in Paris, London and Madrid, according to Clark.

Authorities estimate that It will take several weeks to ascertain the final number of dead. A number of similar incidents have already caused tens of thousands of premature deaths in Europe in the previous summers.

The fatal greenhouse effect

To appreciate the effect of climate change, scientists simulated the intensity of this episode in a world that would not have experienced the massive mass Burning of coal, oil and gasusing historical meteorological data.

They concluded that the heatwave wave ‘would be 2 to 4 ° C.»If there was no climate change to 11 of the 12 cities studied.

These additional points significantly increased the risk of the health of 30 million inhabitants of these cities.

Heat waves are particularly dangerous to the elderly, patients, young children, outdoor workers and anyone exposed to high temperatures for long periods without respite, especially during a series of hot nights.

Large areas of southern Europe have lived a series of “tropical nights”, in which temperatures did not fall enough to allow the body to recover.

Researchers from European Health Institutes said in 2023 that up to 61,000 people may have died from the heatwaves that hit Europe in 2022, according to a new study, which suggests that countries’ efforts to prepare to tackle extreme heat fails.