Ahmad 
The World Health Organization in Europe revealed that extreme heat leads to the death of more than 175,000 people annually on the continent, with temperatures rising at a rate higher than the global average.
The figures, as reported in the report, indicate that heat-related deaths in Europe represent 36% of global heat-related deaths, which totaled about 489,000 deaths annually between 2019 and 2020.
The WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, explained that the price people pay as a result of heat waves is high, stressing that the continuous rise in temperatures not only exacerbates chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, respiratory and diabetes diseases, but also negatively affects mental health.
Kluge confirmed that heat stress, which occurs when the body is unable to maintain its normal temperature, is the leading cause of climate-related death in the region.
He pointed out that recent years have witnessed the highest temperature ever since 2020, while the past decade was the hottest since 2007.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of the “extreme heat epidemic” that the world is suffering from, calling on countries to intensify efforts to confront the dangerous effects of heat waves exacerbated by climate change.
Europe witnessed a record number of days in 2023 with severe levels of heat stress, especially in southern Europe, where 41% of the region was exposed to high levels of heat stress. In Italy, July 2023 saw a 7% increase in deaths compared to the average.
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