Extreme Weather Killed 195,000 in Europe since 1980

Some 195,000 people have lost their lives since 1980 in Europe due to extreme weather events such as heat waves and floods, according to the European Environment Agency, which is today calling for new measures to counter stormy weather.

In a report compiling the latest data on the impact of these events, the European Agency indicated that "extreme weather events caused economic losses estimated at 560 billion euros in the European Union between 1980 and 2021, of which only 170 billion euros (30%) were under insurance coverage." It caused the deaths of approximately 195,000 victims.

In February 2022, the tally provided by the European Environment Agency is €510 billion and 142,000 dead, for the period 1980-2020. In 2021, the cost of flooding in Germany and Belgium will be around 50 billion euros.

The summer of 2022, which has not yet been counted, saw a higher-than-usual number of deaths across Europe, which was marked by frequent heat waves.

The European Economic Agency said there were 53,000 more deaths (16%) in July 2022 than the monthly averages for 2016-2019, not all of which were directly attributed to rising temperatures. Spain recorded more than 4,600 extreme heat-related deaths between June and August.