In Spain, the heat wave led to a sharp increase in deaths in 2022

2023-06-27 18:45:27
Barcelona suffers the first wave of summer heat in Spain, June 26, 2023. NACHO DOCE / REUTERS

Last summer’s record high temperatures in Spain directly caused the deaths of more than 350 people and a huge increase in fatalities, according to official figures released on Tuesday (June 27th), shortly after a first death linked to the ongoing heatwave.

From May to August 2022, 157,580 deaths were recorded, i.e. 26,849 more (+ 20.5%) than in 2019, the reference year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, informs the National Institute of Statistics (INE) in a report on the causes of mortality in the country in 2022.

In detail, 122 deaths were directly attributed to cases of sunstroke (compared to 47 in 2019) and 233 to cases of dehydration (compared to 109 in 2019). The more than 26,000 other additional deaths compared to 2019 are linked to previous chronic pathologies whose existence increases the risk of death in situations of high heat, such as hypertension, diabetes or senile dementia, details the INE.

The year 2022, marked by a sweltering summer and devastating fires, was the hottest on record in Spain, according to the National Meteorological Agency (Aemet).

Twelve records reached in 2023

Since Sunday, the country has been facing its first summer heat wave of the year, with temperatures that exceeded 44 ° C on Monday in Andalusia (south of the country) and remained around 40 ° C on Tuesday, according to Aemetwhich has placed several regions on high alert.

In Andalusia, the region traditionally most affected by heat waves, a 47-year-old man died on Saturday following a sunstroke, announced the regional authorities. He suffered from previous pathologies and was struck down by the heat while working in the fields in the municipality of Aznalcollar.

According to the first estimates of the Aemet, the day of Sunday “added to this year’s list of heat records” and will become, after confirmation, “the twelfth record reached in 2023, even before the end of the first half”. Without the impact of climate change, “we could have five records over the full year”continues the Aemet.

In 2022, 35 days had recorded a heat record in the country, or almost one day in ten. Episodes of exceptionally high temperatures have multiplied in recent years in Spain, a European country on the front line of climate change with nearly 75% of its territory at risk of desertification according to the United Nations (UN).

The World with AFP