German media: 10,000 people died from heat in Germany in 2018
Unprecedented heatwaves in Germany have led to a spike in deaths in the country. Experts estimate that the number of deaths due to rising temperatures in the country in 2018 could reach around 10,000, writes the Frankfurter Allgemeine.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper, based on preliminary statistics received from German authorities, writes that the summer months have been extremely deadly for German citizens; while the number of deaths in July and August is relatively low, and the highest number of deaths occurs in the winter season and during the outbreak of colds.
According to the German Federal Office, in August last year (2018), the death rate reached 14.8% of the total for the year, which is the highest since 2003.
Frankfurter Allgemeine writes that experts have announced the number of deaths due to rising temperatures in this country in 2018 at around 10,000.
There is no clear explanation for this sharp increase in statistics, but Bettina Sommer, an expert at the German Federal Statistical Office, says: "The fact that more people died in August 2018 than in other years could be due to the extreme heat."
However, Jürgen Krupp from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research tells the newspaper that we cannot directly prove a link between the two. He believes that based on the current data, a catastrophic scenario of a combination of rising temperatures and increased mortality cannot yet be defined.
Kropp says heat waves can increase the risk of death in older people, but extreme heat itself does not cause death.
But Andreas Matsarakis of the German Meteorological Agency has a different opinion, believing: "The available data could be an indication that summer mortality has increased in recent years."
"Heat periods are becoming longer and more intense, and this could be due to climate change," he continues.
This German Meteorological Agency expert also says that, however, there is not yet enough data to make a definitive statement about this.
The elderly and the sick, two high-risk groups
The Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper reports that, based on statistics from 15 states in Germany, the death toll on hot days between July 23 and August 9 last year rose by more than 8,000 compared to 2017.
In the summer of 2018, around 2,000 people died in the state of Baden-Württemberg alone due to the effects of the heat. Seven and a half percent of the approximately 26,000 deaths in the summer months of June, July and August were due to heat.
The elderly, in particular, are exposed to cardiovascular problems and physical disorders caused by thirst due to heat.
In the summer of 2003, nearly 2,700 people died in the century-long heatwave. In the summers of 2006 and 2015, about 2,000 people died from heatstroke between June and August.
Source: DW
