More than 47,000 people died in Europe last year due to heat, report says

More than 47,000 people died in Europe due to scorching temperatures in 2023, with countries in the region's south hit the hardest, according to a report by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) published on Monday.

Last year was the world's hottest on record. As climate change continues to increase temperatures, Europeans live in the world's fastest-warming continent, facing growing health risks stemming from intense heat.

The 2023 death toll - below the more than 60,000 heat-related deaths estimated for the previous year - would have been 80% higher without measures introduced in the past 20 years to help people adapt to rising temperatures, such as early warning systems and healthcare improvements, according to the report by the Spanish research center.

"Our results show how there have been societal adaptation processes to high temperatures...