Milan had the most excess deaths in Europe in the recent 10-day heatwave that afflicted the continent, according to a report issued Tuesday.
    During the 10-day heatwave that hit Europe, "climate change was responsible for an estimated 317 excess deaths in Milan, 286 in Barcelona, ;;235 in Paris, 171 in London, 164 in Rome, 108 in Madrid, 96 in Athens, 47 in Budapest, 31 in Zagreb, 21 in Frankfurt, 21 in Lisbon, and 6 in Sassari," said the rapid study conducted by Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and reported by Greenpeace.
    According to the study, "around 1,500 of the estimated 2,300 heat-related deaths, or 65%, are the result of climate change." The study estimates that approximately 2,300 people died due to extreme temperatures in cities.

However, if the climate had not been warmed by burning fossil fuels, there would have been approximately 1,500 excess deaths, meaning climate change is responsible for 65% of excess deaths.
    The findings, they say, show how relatively small increases in warmer temperatures can trigger huge mortality spikes when heat overwhelms people with underlying health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory problems, as identified in previous studies.
    The findings also highlight how heat is an underestimated threat: most heat-related deaths occur in homes and hospitals, out of public view, and are rarely reported, the researchers say.
    People aged 65 and over were the hardest hit, accounting for 88% of excess climate change-related deaths, due to higher rates of existing health conditions.
    The findings highlight that older people in Europe are at increasing risk of premature death, as burning fossil fuels causes hotter, longer, and more frequent heatwaves.
    However, researchers warn that heat can be dangerous for all age groups, with an estimated 183 deaths among people between the ages of 20 and 64.
    Around 90% of deaths in Madrid have been attributed to climate change, the highest among cities, due to the sharp increase in heat that has seen temperatures surpass the threshold at which heat-related deaths rapidly increase.

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