Global study: 5 million deaths a year linked to temperature changes
A new study involving Emory University finds that more than five million deaths each year can be attributed to hot and cold temperatures around the world.
As the mercury in some U.S. cities hits blistering highs, a new study involving Emory University finds that more than five million deaths each year can be attributed to hot and cold temperatures around the world.
The multi-institution study , published in Lancet Planetary Health, is the first to look at how temperature affects mortality across the world over 20 years: from 2000 to 2019, a period when global temperatures rose significantly.
Researchers found that while heat-related deaths increased in all regions, it was exposure to cold that caused most deaths during the study period. In the U.S., temperature changes were responsible for the deaths of more than 173,000 people each year, according to the study.
The findings come on the heels of another largescale study which concluded that human-induced climate change was responsible for a third of all heat-related deaths.
