Around 15,000 deaths caused in Europe in 2022 due to heat: What the new World Meteorological Organisation report says

Several parts of Europe had recorded their highest-ever temperatures in 2022. The United Kingdom experienced 40-plus degree Celsius heat for the first time ever, while Ireland had its highest temperature since 1887.

Tourists near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Tourists click photos while a man sits in shorts, shirtless.

Tourists near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, as the country reeled under an unusually extreme heat wave, in 2022. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

Written by: Amitabh Sinha

4 min readNew DelhiApr 21, 2023 04:30 PM IST First published on: Apr 21, 2023 at 04:30 PM IST

The unusual heat in Europe last year, during which several countries experienced record-breaking temperatures, contributed to the deaths of at least 15,000 people, more than any other single extreme climate event, according at a new report by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) released today (April 21).

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“Europe experienced numerous heatwaves, with significant heatwaves occurring in each of the three summer months. During the summer, around 4,600 deaths in Spain, 4,500 in Germany, 2,800 in the United Kingdom (among those aged 65 and older), 2,800 in France and 1,000 in Portugal were associated with the unusual heat,” the annual State of Global Climate report by the WMO said about the year 2022.

What happened in Europe in 2022?

Several parts of Europe had recorded their highest-ever temperatures last year. The United Kingdom, for example, experienced 40-plus degree Celsius heat for the first time ever, while Ireland had its highest temperature since 1887. Hamburg, in Germany, became the most northern part of the country to ever record 40 degree Celsius temperature. Even Sweden, one of the coldest countries, recorded temperatures in excess of 37 degree Celsius last year.

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This happened despite the prevalence of a strong La Nina event which is known to have an overall cooling impact on the planet, the WMO said.

On average, global temperature in 2022 was 1.15 degree Celsius higher than pre-industrial times, which is the average of the 1850-1900 period. This is in line with what the WMO had said in its provisional report for 2022 last year. The provisional report had been released during the climate change conference in Egypt when about two months were still remaining in the year.

What was the status in the previous years?

The warmest year on record so far has been 2016 when average global temperatures were measured to be 1.28 degree Celsius higher than pre-industrial times, not very far away from the 1.5 degree Celsius milestone, which is the world is aiming to avoid. The years 2015 to 2022 have been the eight warmest years in the 173 years of direct record keeping. The year 2022 would be fifth or sixth on that list of warmest years, WMO said.

Chart on temperature rise above pre-industrial levels from 2000 to 2022.

It said the concentrations of three main greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide – responsible for global warming were all at record levels in 2021, the latest year for which confirmed values are available. Carbon dioxide concentrations in atmosphere now exceed 415 parts per million. Just a few years ago, 400 ppm was considered a danger mark and the effort was to keep the concentrations below that. Now, the attempt is to ensure that the rise is contained to as low a value as possible.

The concentrations of methane, less prevalent but more damaging than carbon dioxide, increased to 1908 parts per billion in 2021. The increase of 18 ppb between 2020 and 2021 was the highest annual rise ever, the WMO said.

The report said 95 million people across the world had already suffered displacement because of climate change reasons. “Most people displaced in climate- or weather-related events remained within the territories where they resided, while in some situations people were forced to flee across international borders in search of safety and assistance,” it said.

With La Nina phase getting over, and forecasts of El Nino taking over in a few months, this year is predicted to be warmer than 2022, with the likelihood of more intense heatwaves and droughts occurring. In India, heatwave conditions existed even in February which is not even a summer month. After a relatively cool March, heatwaves were back in April, and more are predicted in the coming months. The India Meteorological Department has predicted a normal monsoon this year, but there are fears that rainfall might be suppressed because of the impact of El Nino.