August M
Economic inequality is contributing to more than 100,000 additional deaths linked to extreme temperatures across Europe each year, according to new research examining the impact of poverty and social hardship on climate-related mortality.
The findings arrive as scientists warn Europe is warming faster than any other continent and faces growing risks from intense summer heatwaves and severe winter conditions, reports The Guardian.
Climate and poverty
Research published this week found that reducing inequality across Europe to levels seen in Slovenia, considered one of the continent’s most equal regions, could cut deaths tied to heat and cold by nearly 30%.
According to the study, that would amount to roughly 109,866 fewer deaths annually.
The researchers also linked high mortality rates to factors including fuel poverty, material deprivation and difficulties heating homes during winter.
Blanca Paniello-Castillo, lead author of the study at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, said policies focused on fairness could improve both social and health outcomes simultaneously.
“It’s a two for one,” she told The Guardian. “If the equity perspective would be more included in policies … we would be hitting two goals at the same time.”
Europe heating up
The report comes after the EU’s Copernicus climate monitoring service ranked April as the world’s third-hottest April on record.
Spain was among countries experiencing record-breaking temperatures, while scientists have also raised concerns over the possible return of a strong El Niño weather pattern that could intensify heat across Europe in 2026.
Researchers analysed mortality data from 654 European regions between 2000 and 2019, examining how economic conditions affected deaths linked to unusually hot or cold weather.
The study found colder regions generally recorded fewer heat deaths but more fatalities during winter, while wealthier urban areas appeared more vulnerable to heat because of dense infrastructure and limited green space.
Warning for governments
Experts not involved in the study said the research highlighted the need for governments to include inequality in climate adaptation planning.
Usama Bilal, an epidemiologist at Drexel University, said the analysis used strong methods but noted poverty can overlap with regional climate differences.
Malcolm Mistry of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine told The Guardian the findings may underestimate today’s risks because fuel poverty has worsened in many European countries since the Covid pandemic and energy crisis.
Scientists have warned that while cold currently causes more deaths than heat in Europe, rising global temperatures are expected to reverse that trend in coming decades.
Sources: The Guardian, Copernicus Climate Change Service
