Spike in Heat-Related Deaths Projected

The number of deaths caused by hot weather in England and Wales is projected to surge by 257% by the 2050s, as a result of climate change and population growth.  Shakoor Hajat, from the London School of Hygiene and Public Medicine (United Kingdom), and colleagues examined fluctuations in weather patterns and death rates between 1993 and 2006 to characterize the associations between temperature and mortality. Noting a 2.1% increase in the number of deaths for every 1C rise in the mercury and a 2% increase in mortality for every 1C drop in temperature, the number of heat-related deaths will increase by 66% in the 2020s, 257% by the 2050s and 535% by the 2080s.  Further, the team projects that cold weather-related deaths will increase by 3% in the 2020s, then decrease by 2% in the 2050s and by 12% in the 2080s. The Warning that burden of extreme weather remains such higher in those over the age of 75, particularly in the over-85s, the study authors conclude that: “Health protection from hot weather will become increasingly necessary, and measures to reduce cold impacts will also remain important in the [United Kingdom]. The demographic changes expected this century mean that the health protection of the elderly will be vital.”