France witnessed an increase of approximately 1,000 additional fatalities last week during the peak of an unprecedented heatwave, as confirmed by the country’s public health agency on Sunday. The World Health Organization (WHO) chief emphasized that Europe is now the continent experiencing the most rapid temperature rise and urged for enhanced measures to safeguard its inhabitants.
Temperature records were shattered in multiple nations over the weekend, leading to wildfires in Germany and the utilization of water cannons by Berlin police to cool down the populace. The heatwave gradually progressed towards the eastern regions of the continent.
Germany set a new high temperature record for the third consecutive day at 41.7 degrees Celsius, while Poland and the Czech Republic also experienced their hottest days ever at 40.5 degrees Celsius and 41.1 degrees Celsius, respectively.
A recent study by the World Weather Attribution highlighted that the extreme heat and humidity witnessed across Europe in the past week were directly linked to climate change. The study indicated that such intense heat events would have been highly improbable half a century ago, but are now 200 times more likely compared to two decades ago.
In France, there was a notable surge in deaths, particularly in private residences, notably in the Paris region, during the hottest temperatures. Public Health France reported over 1,200 deaths on the peak day of Wednesday, escalating to more than 1,400 deaths on the subsequent days, significantly surpassing the pre-heatwave daily mortality rate of 900 to 1,000 deaths.
The agency estimated that France encountered at least 1,000 additional deaths during those three critical days alone, with a significant portion of fatalities occurring in regions under red alerts for extreme heat. The majority of the deceased individuals were aged 65 and above.
WHO’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus underscored that Europe is heating up at twice the global average rate, with 150 million people currently facing extreme heat conditions. The ongoing heatwave, considered a recurring event due to global warming, has resulted in over 1,300 excess deaths in Europe since late June.
Tedros emphasized the urgent need for European nations to implement comprehensive action plans focusing on readiness, prevention, and bolstering healthcare responses to combat the escalating health risks posed by high temperatures.