Energy News
WEATHER REPORT
Extreme weather killed 195,000 in Europe since 1980
Extreme weather killed 195,000 in Europe since 1980
by AFP Staff Writers
Copenhagen (AFP) June 13, 2023

Extreme weather conditions in Europe have killed almost 195,000 people and caused economic losses of more than 560 billion euros since 1980, the European Environment Agency said Wednesday.

"Nearly 195,000 fatalities have been caused by floods, storms, heat- and coldwaves, forest fires and landslides" between 1980 and 2021, the EAA said in its report.

Of the 560 billion euros ($605 billion) in losses, only 170 billion, or 30 percent, were insured, the EEA said, as it launched a new online portal collating recent data on the impact of extreme weather.

"To prevent further losses, we need to urgently move from responding to extreme weather events...to proactively preparing for them," EEA expert Aleksandra Kazmierczak told AFP.

According to the latest data, heatwaves accounted for 81 percent of deaths and 15 percent of financial losses.

Europe needs to take measures to protect its ageing population, with the elderly particularly sensitive to extreme heat, the EEA said.

"Most national adaptation policies and health strategies recognise the impacts of heat on cardiovascular and respiratory systems. But less than half cover direct impacts of heat like dehydration or heat stroke," it said.

The summer of 2022 saw more deaths than usual in Europe following repeated heatwaves, but the 2022 deaths were not included in the data published on Wednesday.

There were 53,000 more deaths in July 2022 than the monthly average in 2016-2019, up by 16 percent, though not all of those deaths were directly attributed to the heat, the EEA said.

Spain registered more than 4,600 deaths linked to the extreme heat in June, July and August.

Climate modelling has predicted longer, more intense and more frequent heatwaves.

In February 2022, the EAA said extreme weather killed 142,000 people and caused 510 billion euros in losses for the period 1980-2020.

The increase in the figures released on Wednesday was partly due to the fact that in 2021, flooding in Germany and Belgium led to economic losses of almost 50 billion euros.

In terms of deaths, a change in methodology in France and Germany was responsible for the large variation, the EEA said.

- 'Devastating consequences' -

Climate change caused by humans increased the risk of drought five- or six-fold in 2022, a year when forest fires ravaged twice as much territory as in recent years, the EEA said.

Droughts could end up being very costly.

Economic losses could rise from nine billion euros per year currently to 25 billion euros at the end of the century if the planet warms by 1.5C degrees.

That could climb to 31 billion euros if it warms by 2C and 45 billion euros if it warms by 3C, according to scientific scenarios.

The consequences for agriculture could be "devastating", the EEA warned.

"Farmers can limit adverse impacts of rising temperature and droughts by adapting crop varieties, changing sowing dates and with changed irrigation patterns," the report said.

Without changes, yields and farm incomes are projected to decline in the future, it said.

While human losses from flooding are much lower, accounting for just two percent of the total, they are the most costly, accounting for 56 percent of economic losses.

Related Links
Weather News at TerraDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WEATHER REPORT
Three dead, thousands displaced following Cuba storms
Havana (AFP) June 13, 2023
Three people have died and thousands have been evacuated after heavy rains pummeled eastern and central Cuba in recent days, authorities said Monday. Heavy rains that started Thursday had subsided by Monday evening, but recovery operations were still underway in several eastern provinces, including Holguin, Camaguey, Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Las Tunas, as well as in Sancti Spiritus, in the center of the island. The Camaguey Civil Defense said in a statement on Monday that a 56-year-old man h ... read more

WEATHER REPORT
Satellogic earth observation constellation continues expansion with SpaceX Transporter-8 Mission

Thales Alenia Space joins tema to develop Destination Earth core service platform

Terran Orbital and ImageSat International set to launch RUNNER-1 EO sat

Sidus to launch LizzieSat with Edge AI, hyperspectral and multispectral imaging

WEATHER REPORT
LEO PNT satellite signal simulator debuts at JNC 2023 conference

Northrop Grumman to produce new maritime navigation sensor for US Navy

Galileo Second Generation enters full development phase

Royal navy tests quantum sensor for future navigation systems

WEATHER REPORT
With bows and spears, Indigenous 'warriors' defend the Amazon

Brazilian Amazon deforestation falls 31% under Lula

Lula leads tributes on anniversary of Amazon double murder

In Ecuador biosphere, battle lines form over mining plans

WEATHER REPORT
Carbon mitigation payments can make bioenergy crops more appealing for farmers

EU probes alleged fraudulent biofuel from China

E-fuels - DLR selects Leuna as location for its PtL technology platform

WVU researcher searching for 'holy grail' of sustainable bioenergy

WEATHER REPORT
Drawn by green subsidies, solar cell giant expands US production

Boric acid-anchoring hole-selective contact for perovskite solar cells

Solar cells can, finally, stand the heat

Government agencies launch effort to expand use of clean-energy tax credits

WEATHER REPORT
Brazil faces dilemma: endangered macaw vs. wind farm

Spire to provide TrueOcean with weather forecasts for offshore wind farm development

Sweden greenlights two offshore windpower farms

European leaders vow to boost North Sea wind energy production

WEATHER REPORT
UK keeps coal fired up despite climate goals

Greenpeace slams UK grid operator over coal decision

'Black city': Polish port Gdansk chokes on coal dust

The problems with coal ash start smaller than anyone thought

WEATHER REPORT
China jails human rights lawyer for state subversion

Hong Kong, China step up security on Tiananmen crackdown anniversary

Hong Kong performance artists detained on Tiananmen anniversary eve

Singapore and China to establish secure defense telephone link

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.