Figures show heat associated deaths down in Spain

THE number of heat-related deaths in Spain has fallen since 1980 despite a rise in temperatures in the country, according to a study.

The report, from the Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal), claimed that people have adapted to the heat and are less vulnerable than before.

The study analysed 47 provincial capital´s summer temperatures from 1980 to 2015, registering an increase in temperature of 0.33 degrees Celsius per decade while death rates fell 0.5% per decade.

The study’s co-author, Joan Ballester, credits a mix of causes such as the availability of air-conditioning. Advances in the healthcare system and the more general public awareness of the dangers associated with high temperatures were also cited.

The figures come as previous international studies predicted death rates would climb as temperatures rose due to climate change.

One study, published last summer, forecasted 60,000 deaths from climate change as early as 2030. The number was set to more than quadruple by 2100, according to data.