20 dead per hour, around the clock, all year round. This is the price Europe pays for climate change – and the figure will only increase, warns the World Health Organization (WHO).
Europe is hit hardest in several ways by the rising global temperatures fueled by our use of fossil fuels. In this region, the average temperature is rising twice as much as on the planet as a whole.
Globally, the WHO estimates 489,000 heat-related premature deaths per year during the period 2000–2019. But despite Europe accounting for only about one-tenth of humanity, the region accounts for over a third of the deaths; over 175,000 per year – equivalent to 500 per day, or 20 per hour.
During the 20-year period, the number has also increased by 30 percent, a trend that is feared to continue.
