With an extremely early, strong and long -term heat wave, the temperature increased to more than 40 degrees Celsius in many European countries since the end of June. Scientists appreciate the number of people who prematurely died from the heat in twelve cities examined up to 2300. It would be about 1,500 deaths without climate change, the study says.
“For thousands of people, an increase in temperature by two or four degrees may be a matter of life and death,” Konstantinudis Garifolko from the imperial college of London said. That is why thermal waves are known as a “silent killer.” “Most deaths are happening at home or in hospitals far from the public and rarely reported,” he added.
To assess the influence of climate change, scientists simulated the intensity of the heat wave in the world without a huge production of greenhouse gases, which is mainly caused by fossil fuel.
The hottest June in Western Europe
Scientists participating in the study emphasized several European research institutes that this was an assessment. It will probably take several weeks to get an official report on the last hot wave. Thermal waves have already caused tens of thousands of early deaths last summer.
Meanwhile, the Erda Copernicus observation program said that the last month was the hottest June, which was ever measured in Western Europe. All over the world, this is the third hottest June, with previous maximum values over the past two years.
In the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, the International Community agreed to limit global warming up to 1.5 degrees, as far as possible compared to pre -industrial age. The average value is used for several decades. According to many experts, taking into account the constant use of fossil fuel, such as oil, this limit is unlikely to observe.
Each warming of the tenth degree has distant consequences. From the progressive change in climate, extreme weather phenomena, such as heat periods, storms and enhancement of severe rains.
