Most global studies estimate that ~9 times more people die from extreme cold than extreme heat. It follows that warming will reduce deaths from extreme temperatures.
There was a furious reaction to the initial report and the ONS were forced to revise it to disguise this inconvenient fact. It can be seen if you look at the data but was erased from the summary section.
What these data show is that we should focus more on preventing deaths from extreme cold as well as extreme heat. This involves better housing and accessible and affordable energy, especially electricity.
Any measures that decrease economic growth and/or decrease the affordability/availability/reliability of electricity will increase deaths from extreme temperatures.
We need to bear this in mind when we reduce emissions!!!
I think the flaw in this is looking at deaths from shocks rather than suffering from stressors. At the moment the latter is the far more serious consequence of climate change and has significant geopolitical consequences (if the human suffering alone is not a good enough reasons to be deeply alarmed). What really matters is numbers of people displaced, on the move, livelihoods destroyed etc etc etc
Thanks! It would be interesting to see deaths from war alongside these figures as another comparator, eg Gaza death toll at least 30,000 according to Prof Roberts, Columbia University https://time.com/6909636/gaza-death-toll/
I find it curious that earthquakes and other disasters seem to cluster in the same years! I'm wondering which comes first, because that would suggest causation.
Most global studies estimate that ~9 times more people die from extreme cold than extreme heat. It follows that warming will reduce deaths from extreme temperatures.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(23)00023-2/fulltext
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(21)00081-4/fulltext
Indeed this has been reported for the UK for the period 2001-2021, during which 500,000 lives were saved by warming!!!
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/climaterelatedmortalityandhospitaladmissionsenglandandwales/1988to2022
There was a furious reaction to the initial report and the ONS were forced to revise it to disguise this inconvenient fact. It can be seen if you look at the data but was erased from the summary section.
What these data show is that we should focus more on preventing deaths from extreme cold as well as extreme heat. This involves better housing and accessible and affordable energy, especially electricity.
Any measures that decrease economic growth and/or decrease the affordability/availability/reliability of electricity will increase deaths from extreme temperatures.
We need to bear this in mind when we reduce emissions!!!
I think the flaw in this is looking at deaths from shocks rather than suffering from stressors. At the moment the latter is the far more serious consequence of climate change and has significant geopolitical consequences (if the human suffering alone is not a good enough reasons to be deeply alarmed). What really matters is numbers of people displaced, on the move, livelihoods destroyed etc etc etc
Thanks! It would be interesting to see deaths from war alongside these figures as another comparator, eg Gaza death toll at least 30,000 according to Prof Roberts, Columbia University https://time.com/6909636/gaza-death-toll/
I find it curious that earthquakes and other disasters seem to cluster in the same years! I'm wondering which comes first, because that would suggest causation.
Well done. Mentioning deaths from cold got some people blocked on Twitter not that long ago. Your fairness of view is commendable.
Fascinating. Thank you.
Deaths from cold in Britain at 10C? That's 50F - hard to believe.
> leaders had been that there was a high risk of failure
Typo, missing the word "warned" I think.
Another fantastic post from Hannah, along with some good comments.
It is also useful to put in a longer context as well:
https://www.mattball.org/2023/08/the-horror-of-climate-change.html
Interesting and very well crafted piece, thank you.