Ponente
Descripción
Exposure to heat poses a major threat to high-risk populations by substantially contributing to increased morbidity and mortality. Heat-related mortality has been a significant concern since the extreme summer of 2003, when Europe experienced a heatwave, leading to an excess of more than 70,000 deaths during the summer months. In the context of climate change, the 21st-century world is facing the greatest global health threat. Current climate conditions and changes projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predict the impact of rising temperatures on human health. Hence, we developed a user-friendly and accessible tool as Shiny app, exploiting the power of interactive data visualization and real-time analytics to provide policymakers and researchers with a comprehensive platform to monitor heat-attributable mortality during the summer months (https://ficlima.shinyapps.io/mace/). In 2024, we expanded from a national estimate to a provincial one, including data from the current year and the historical series since 2018. Consequently, in the summer of 2024, we estimated higher fractions attributable to extreme heat in the province of Soria with 10%, followed by Lleida with 7% and approximately 6% in Zaragoza, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, and Zamora. Compared to previous years, the summer of 2024 showed a lower extreme heat-related mortality, the third-highest estimated fraction in the past years. The next step will be the implementation of heat-related mortality forecasts based on AEMET's municipal temperature predictions. We hope to contribute to the ongoing discourse on climate change mitigation and public health preparedness, not only within Spain but also as a model for regions facing similar climatic challenges globally.
| Afiliación (del autor) | Climate Research Foundation, Madrid, Spain |
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