The World Health Organization’s European division reported on Friday that the heatwave had resulted in more than 1,700 deaths alone on the Iberian peninsula (July 22). The Iberian Peninsula is a mountainous region that is most associated with Spain and Portugal.
The extraordinary heatwave has left a trail of death and ruin throughout Europe, not only in Spain and Portugal. Heat is fatal. According to a statement by WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge, hundreds of thousands of people have perished over the past few decades as a result of excessive heat during prolonged heatwaves, frequently with concurrent wildfires.
‘This year, we have already witnessed more than 1,700 needless deaths in the present heatwave in Spain and Portugal alone,’ Kluge added.
According to the regional director, exposure to excessive heat ‘frequently exacerbates pre-existing health issues,’ as reported by the news agency AFP. ‘Individuals at either end of the life spectrum – infants, children, and the elderly – are particularly at risk,’ the official continued.
People are experiencing record-breaking heat in the majority of the European Union’s member states. As millions of people struggle in the terrible, record-breaking heat, this immediately brings attention to the effects of global warming.
The data that is currently available, according to WHO Europe, is a provisional estimate based on reports by national agencies. The toll had ‘already escalated and likely increase more over the next days,’ according to the statement.
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