More than 2,700 excess deaths estimated in England and Wales during May and June heatwaves: comment
Gareth Redmond-King is available for further comment and interview.
By Gareth Redmond-King
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Commenting on research from Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine showing that more than 2,700 people are thought to have died from heat-related causes during the May and June heatwaves in England and Wales [1] Gareth Redmond-King, Head of International Programme at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), said:
"More than a thousand people died in the last two heatwaves as a result of the additional heat added by climate change, caused by the burning of oil and gas.
"Temperatures simply wouldn’t have been as high and whilst it’s particularly the vulnerable - the elderly, the very young, and less well-off who are least able to cope with the extremes that climate change brings, with NHS hospitals having to cut services, this poses a growing risk to everyone. In the here and now, air conditioning for hospitals and schools is a costly yet crucial next step, but the only way to halt climate change, and stop our summers getting hotter and hotter, and more and more deadly is to reach net zero emissions and bring balance back to the climate."
Notes to editors:
1. The research by Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is published on Monday 13 July.
For more information or for interview requests:
George Smeeton, Head of Communications, ECIU, Tel: 07894 571 153, email: george.smeeton@eciu.net