Cory Franklin strives to accommodate weather's drastic changes
In a striking contrast, Europe has been experiencing a significantly higher number of heat-related deaths compared to the United States. According to recent data, European heat deaths average between 60 to 200 per 1 million people annually, while American heat deaths hover around three to eight per million annually.
This disparity can be attributed to several key factors. Firstly, human-induced climate change has intensified heatwaves in Europe, raising temperatures by 1 to 4°C and contributing to a surge in heat-related mortality. For instance, the 2025 European heatwaves resulted in an estimated 2,300 deaths across 12 cities, a figure that is about three times higher than it would have been without climate change.
Europe is also facing an increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves. Heat-related fatalities have become the overwhelming majority of weather-related deaths in Europe, accounting for 95% between 1980 and 2023. Southern Europe is already reaching critical heat risk levels.
Urban heat islands, areas where temperatures are artificially higher due to human activities, exacerbate the problem. About half of hospitals and schools in European cities are located in areas with urban heat island effects, increasing exposure to higher temperatures by more than 2°C.
Europe's demographic profile, with a higher proportion of elderly individuals who are more susceptible to heat stress, and a gender bias towards women's vulnerability to heat mortality, also contributes to the higher heat death toll.
Moreover, the healthcare system in Europe is strained during heatwaves, with high hospital admissions impacting outcomes. For example, in Portugal, hospital admissions increased by 19% during heatwave days.
In contrast, the U.S., while also experiencing heat deaths, has factors such as differences in urban planning, public health infrastructure, climate adaptation policies, and possibly population demographics that may result in comparatively fewer or less concentrated heat-related fatalities.
Cold continues to claim more lives than heat in most parts of the world, but the data on cold-weather deaths in Europe and the U.S. paint a different picture. While the reasons for the higher cold-weather deaths in Europe may be due to the ubiquity of older homes with poorer insulation throughout Europe, the numbers are still sobering.
Air conditioning, a lifesaving method of adaptation to a changing climate, represents one of the most effective means of reducing heat-related deaths. However, its availability is relatively scarce in Europe compared to the U.S. Air conditioning savings lives, especially if it could be made more available in the Global South, where there are even more deaths due to hot weather.
The response to climate change must involve a combination of mitigation and adaptation. Human-made efforts to adapt to weather extremes would have lifesaving consequences more immediately. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential for long-term climate stability.
This article was written by retired intensive care physician Cory Franklin for the Chicago Tribune. The views expressed are the writer's own. It is important to note that comparisons of heat deaths between countries are limited due to differences in weather, patient characteristics, and the sources of data.
In conclusion, Europe's combination of more frequent and intense heatwaves caused by climate change, urbanized environments, and vulnerable populations leads to a larger heat death toll relative to the U.S. When deaths from heat and cold are combined, Europe has close to 50 times as many deaths as the U.S., with as many as 250,000 to 500,000 more deaths every year.
Environmental science reveals that human-induced climate change has intensified heatwaves in Europe, increasing temperatures by 1 to 4°C and boosting heat-related mortality. This rise in heat deaths has made weather-related fatalities the overwhelming majority in Europe, accounting for 95% between 1980 and 2023.
The recurring heatwaves and higher temperatures due to climate change in Europe, combined with urban heat islands, susceptible populations, and strain on the healthcare system, are primary factors leading to a significantly larger heat death toll compared to the United States.
