2023-07-12 16:30:26
New fountains like this one in Chemnitz can also cool down a bit on hot summer days in cities.
Photo: dpa/Hendrik Schmidt
In the majority of federal states, the school holidays begin in the first half of July. Now one could think that the heat is still mild, apart from Saturday, when 34 degrees are to be reached in Berlin and up to 37 degrees in the south-west. But the situation is very different in important European holiday destinations. In both Spain and Greece, the forecast for the next seven days announces temperatures that are increasingly close to the 40 degree mark.
If such temperatures last for days, the effects of the heat can only be counteracted individually with difficulty, and this also varies greatly depending on where you live and the situation. Shady, green courtyards and north-facing rooms are not available to everyone, especially not a pool, outdoor pool or lake. In many workplaces, there is also waste heat from machines and systems, or solar radiation cannot be avoided, as in construction. The use of public transport can also become an ordeal.
Young and healthy people suffer the least from the effects of the heat, but the age groups that need protection are relatively large. Children, the elderly and the chronically ill require special attention. So far, the number of heat-related deaths has only been estimated on the basis of excess mortality that occurs parallel to heat periods, i.e. only afterwards. In addition to those already mentioned, the group also includes homeless people and people who work outdoors.
The French health research institute Inserm and the Spanish institute ISGlobal presented more recent results on the number of heat deaths in Europe in 2022 this week. The institutes collected data from more than 800 regions in 35 countries. For the period from May 30 to September 4, 2022, there were 61,672 heat deaths in Europe. The victims were mainly women over 80 years of age. By country, in absolute terms, Italy tops the list with around 18,000 deaths, followed by Spain with more than 11,000 deaths. Germany, the most populous country in Europe, ranks third with over 8,000 heat deaths.
Although it can be assumed that the Mediterranean countries will adapt better to high temperatures, the increasing proportion of older and sick people is evidently also having an effect here. At the latest since the heat wave of 2003, there has also been a need for Germany to take preventive measures. These can be very diverse, but so far there is no overall plan in this country. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach only admitted that he was not active in this matter at the end of June. France could be a role model for heat protection.
First of all, it is about the timely prediction, for example via existing smartphone applications or via radio and television. It is important here that the particularly vulnerable groups are also reached. This means that old people’s homes, care services and hospitals are warned that the staff here pay attention to sufficient drinking, shade and symptoms of heat stroke or sunstroke. It could be important for municipalities to avoid, for example, heat islands that arise from sealed floors in urban planning. On the other hand, so-called cool spots, i.e. cool points, should be preserved, newly built or opened. This includes green spaces, bodies of water, but also cool buildings such as libraries or churches, as well as cooled shopping centers. Digital and analog signposts could help to make them accessible.
Recommendations for action for regional heat action plans have existed in Germany since 2017, but how the municipalities have progressed so far has varied greatly. Some plans include only measures related to people over 65, others include long-term ones such as unsealing or green roofs. In any case, the national heat action plans of countries such as France, Italy or Spain are also much further along. Among other things, heat-related mortality and disease burden are recorded nationally and promptly. This also creates a better data basis for the necessary adaptation measures.
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