Over 2,700 may have died due to England heat waves: researchers

LONDON

At least 2,700 people could have died in England and Wales as a result of heat waves that struck in May and June, according to a study released on July 13.

Experts from Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine used weather data, climate models and studies on excess mortality during heat waves to arrive at their estimate.

“More than 2,700 people are thought to have died from heat-related causes during the May and June heat waves in England and Wales,” a statement said.

“Of those, it’s estimated that 42 percent died as a result of the extra heat caused by human-induced warming,” it added.

The U.K. and most of Europe experienced two unprecedented heatwaves in May and June, with monthly records set at 35.1 degrees Celsius and 37.7 degrees Celsius, respectively, in England.

“They were extreme heatwaves for the U.K., and for all parts of western Europe, and they’re particularly exceptional for the timing and how early in the year they occurred,” Mark McCarthy, science manager of the Met’s climate attribution team, was quoted as saying in the study.

The study estimates that around 550 people died as a result of the heat between May 21 and 29, and nearly 2,200 died between June 18 and 28 in England and Wales.

The authors emphasize the role of climate change, which is making heatwaves more intense and frequent.

They estimate that maximum daytime temperatures were 3 to 4 degrees higher than they would have been without global warming.