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

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

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41612-024-00783-2

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

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Beck TM, Schumacher DL, Achebak H, Vicedo–Cabrera AM, Seneviratne SI, Ballester J. Mortality burden attributed to anthropogenic warming during Europe’s 2022 record-breaking summer. npj Climate and Atmospheric Science. 2024;7:245. DOI: 10.1038/s41612-024-00783-2

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.