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Photo/VCG

According to a study published on Nature Medicine on July 10, as many as 61,000 people may have died in Europe"s sweltering heat waves last summer.

Globally, the last 8 years have been the warmest on record, and 2022 was the fifth warmest year. In this context, Europe emerges as a major climatic hotspot, given that warming since preindustrial levels is almost 1 °C higher than the corresponding global increase, and higher than in any other continent6.

Moreover, climate change projections for the continent indicate that temperatures, and their health impacts, will rise at an accelerated rate unless strong mitigation and adaptation actions are put in place.

"The Mediterranean is affected by desertification, heat waves are amplified during summer just because of these drier conditions," said study co-author Joan Ballester, a professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.

"It"s an indication to those countries that they need to review their plans and see what is not working," said Chloe Brimicombe, a climate scientist at Austria"s University of Graz.

Germany"s health ministry last month launched a campaign to guide local authorities in drawing up heat action plans, such as through increased protection for homeless people, or measures like providing more drinking water in public spaces.