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Extreme weather blamed for 195,000 deaths, €560 billion in damage over past 40 years: Report

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has revealed that extreme weather conditions in Europe have killed almost 195,000 people and caused economic losses of more than €560 billion euros since 1980.

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Firefighters try to extinguish flames during a wildfire at the village of Kineta, near Athens, on July 24, 2018.
Firefighters try to extinguish flames during a wildfire at the village of Kineta, near Athens, on July 24, 2018. AFP - VALERIE GACHE
By: RFI Follow
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A report released by the EEA on Wednesday, claims that nearly 195,000 fatalities have been caused by floods, storms, heat and coldwaves, forest fires and landslides between 1980 and 2021.

Of the 560 billion euros in losses, only170 billion euros  – or 30 percent – were insured, the EEA said, as it launched a new online portal collating recent data on the impact of extreme weather.

EEA expert Aleksandra Kazmierczak said in the report: "To prevent further losses we need to urgently move from responding to extreme weather events ...to proactively preparing for them."

According to the latest data, heatwaves accounted for 81 percent of deaths and 15 percent of financial losses.

The EEA added that Europe needs to take measures to protect its ageing population, with the elderly particularly sensitive to extreme heat.

"Most national adaptation policies and health strategies recognise the impacts of heat on cardiovascular and respiratory systems. But less than half cover direct impacts of heat like dehydration or heat stroke," it said.

Spike in heat-related deaths

The summer of 2022 saw more deaths than usual in Europe following repeated heatwaves, but the 2022 deaths were not included in the data published on Wednesday. 

There were 53,000 more deaths in July 2022 than the monthly average in 2016-2019 – up by 16 percent – though not all of those deaths were directly attributed to the heat.

Spain registered more than 4,600 deaths linked to the extreme heat in June, July and August last year, while climate modelling has predicted longer, more intense and more frequent heatwaves.

In February 2022, the EAA said extreme weather killed 142,000 people and caused €510 billion euros in losses for the period 1980-2020.

The increase in the figures released on Wednesday was partly due to the fact that in 2021, flooding in Germany and Belgium led to economic losses of almost €50 billion.

In terms of deaths, a change in methodology in France and Germany was reportedly responsible for the large variation.

'Devastating consequences' 

Climate change caused by humans increased the risk of drought five- or six-fold in 2022 – a year when forest fires ravaged twice as much territory as in recent years – and droughts could end up being very costly.

Economic losses could rise from nine billion euros per year currently to €25 billion at the end of the century if the planet warms by 1.5°Celsius.

According to scientific scenarios, that could climb to €31 billion if it warms by 2°C and €45 billion if it warms by 3°C. 

The EEA warned that the consequences for agriculture could be "devastating".

"Farmers can limit adverse impacts of rising temperature and droughts by adapting crop varieties, changing sowing dates and with changed irrigation patterns," the report said. 

But without changes, yields and farm incomes are projected to decline in the future.

While human losses from flooding are much lower, accounting for just two percent of the total, they are the most costly, accounting for 56 percent of economic losses.

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