Extreme heat sends death rate soaring

Newly published figures from Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine suggest that in excess of 2,700 people in England and Wales may have died in May and June from heat-related causes, as the extreme temperatures that have blighted Europe this summer continue.

The recent heat waves have been caused by a weather condition known as a heat dome, a stalled area of high pressure which traps hot air, the effects of which, experts say, have been exacerbated by human-caused climate change.

The June heat wave was the warmest on record, underlining that British buildings are not designed to deal with such conditions, as they are so rare, making them harder to deal with when they come along.

Babies, the elderly, and those with underlying health conditions are regarded as being most at risk from excessive heat due to the strain it puts on the heart while cooling the body down.

The Guardian newspaper reported that scientists estimated that at its three-day peak in June, the weather caused around 440 deaths per day, which contrasts with official government statistics showing that around four people die each day in road traffic accidents, or 35 a day from drug and alcohol misuse.

Emily Shuckburgh, chief scientific adviser for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, told the BBC about her own father who had suffered a stroke and died during the extreme temperatures.

"The ambulance services were overwhelmed and it took a number of hours for him to get to hospital. Really sadly, he didn't survive," she explained.

"Now, I can't say that was because of the heat, I am sure the heat didn't help, but it really underlines the fact that … these extreme heat events are costing lives today, and we really need to take climate change seriously."

Mainland Europe also continues to struggle with the extreme conditions, with fast-moving fires in the Forest of Fontainebleau, southeast of the French capital Paris, causing particular concern.

Water bomber planes were deployed, and part of the country's main north-south arterial road, the A6 highway, was closed because of the flames. Major railway services were also badly affected.

"This exceptional area is consumed by flames, we've never seen anything like this," Julien Gondard, the mayor of Fontainebleau, told local television company ICI Paris.

Meanwhile, many of the people who have died in the heat in Spain are believed to be overseas visitors or expatriates from other European countries who were living in Spain.

julian@mail.chinadailyuk.com