
It is no secret that Barcelona has become a torrid city in recent years because of climate change. Global warming affects Barcelona, which has noticed how the past summers living in the city was more difficult than it had always been. Now, a study not only confirms this point, but indicates that Barcelona is, of the major European cities, the city that will be most severely affected by rising temperatures in the coming years.
This is according to a study published in the journal Nature by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, which states that Barcelona tops the European ranking of deaths expected from rising temperatures due to climate change between now and the end of the century.
250,000 deaths in 75 years
The figures in the study send shivers down the spine. At the European level, more than 2.3 million deaths are estimated if the temperature rises by 4 degrees, with the Mediterranean arc, the most vulnerable region, being particularly affected, concentrating most of this mortality.
In Barcelona alone, a study projects that, if drastic and urgent measures are not taken, more than 246,000 citizens could lose their lives due to extreme heat in the next 75 years.
This number puts Barcelona far ahead of other Mediterranean cities with similar climates, such as Rome, Naples or even Madrid, which will also be severely affected. Valencia, Athens or Marseille are also in the top ten of the list, while countries such as Great Britain are further away from this heat wave.
70% of deaths can be avoided
The study has taken into account elements such as temperature rise, the presence of green spaces, adaptive capacity (climate shelters, cooling systems), demographic composition or pollution levels.
With this, the researchers insist on the urgency of acting on two fronts: mitigation of climate change, on the one hand, and adaptation to rising temperatures, which is already a reality. To this end, they recommend taking measures such as increasing green areas to mitigate “heat island” effects or facilitating access to air-conditioned housing for vulnerable groups.
According to the study, if this is respected and the temperature increase is limited to 2 degrees Celsius, as established in the Paris Agreements,70% of these deaths could be avoided. However, at present, these objectives seem difficult to achieve.