npj Climate and Atmospheric Science (Oct 2024)

Mortality burden attributed to anthropogenic warming during Europe’s 2022 record-breaking summer

  • Thessa M. Beck,
  • Dominik L. Schumacher,
  • Hicham Achebak,
  • Ana M. Vicedo–Cabrera,
  • Sonia I. Seneviratne,
  • Joan Ballester

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-024-00783-2
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 1
pp. 1 – 6

Abstract

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Abstract The record-breaking temperatures in Europe during the 2022 summer were associated with over 60,000 heat-related deaths. By combining epidemiological models with detection and attribution techniques, we attribute half of this mortality burden (~56% [95% CI 39–77%]) to anthropogenic warming. Likewise, this applies to all sexes, ages, and heat-related mortality burdens during previous years (2015–2021). Our results urgently call for increasing ambition in adaptation and mitigation.