Extreme heat in Europe: more than 61,000 casualties in the scorching summer of 2022

Hello, STEAMers boys and girls! Today we will dive into a topic that is sure to make us sweat more than a dance competition in the hot sun! In the summer of 2022, Europe turned into a real oven, and I don’t mean your grandmother’s oven, but a gigantic one! Temperatures soared to record levels, heat waves seemed endless, and wildfires raged like a dragon on the loose. Everything got so hot that even ice cream had to put on sunscreen!

The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and the French National Institute of Health (Inserm) studied the situation, and boy did they find interesting data! According to his research, more than 61,000 people sadly lost the battle against heat between May 30 and September 4 of that year. Scientists analyzed data on temperature and mortality in different European regions from 2015 to 2022, and boy did they do some detective work! Using complicated models, they were able to predict how many lives fell victim to the sweltering heat.

The heat that summer was so cruel that temperatures were above average for every week. It was like being inside an oven in turbo mode! The worst days occurred between July 11 and August 14, when a terrible heat wave hit Europe, taking almost 40,000 people. It was crazy! Italy was one of the most affected countries, with more than 18,000 people losing the battle against the heat, Spain and Germany were not spared either, with more than 11,000 and 8,000 people dying respectively. How sad!

But watch out, guys and gals, be careful! Here comes an amazing fact: women proved to be more courageous under the scorching sun. The heat-related death rate was 63% higher in women than in men. Girls have that power! But that also means that we must be prepared and protect ourselves well when the thermometer rises and guys, do not trust yourself, because it is also important to take care of the heat. The study showed that the male mortality rate was 41% higher in the youngest, so we all need to take precautions. It is essential to learn from these experiences and better prepare ourselves to face global warming, we don’t want this to become a summer tradition, do we? Although 2003 was the undisputed champion with over 70,000 deaths in Europe due to heat, we now know that we have to act fast to prevent these numbers from rising further.

Europe is heating up faster than microwaved soup, and that’s not good news. If we don’t act wisely, it is estimated that by 2030, the continent could face more than 68,000 premature deaths each summer. That’s a serious problem! So, let’s get to work! Together we can make a difference, it’s time to take global warming seriously, take care of extreme heat and find creative ways to protect our home, the one and only beautiful planet Earth. Keep cool and STEAM in action!