Brandenburg's heat drama: almost 100 dead due to high temperatures!

Brandenburg's heat drama: almost 100 dead due to high temperatures!

The effects of climate change on the health of the population show alarming trends. In Brandenburg, a total of 99 people died in 2022 from the direct consequences of extreme heat, which corresponds almost to a doubling compared to the 50 deaths in 2021. This reports the rbb . The data was determined from official communications from the Brandenburg Ministries for Health and Climate Protection as well as the Office for Statistics Berlin-Brandenburg. On the long -term average, around 60 people usually died of heat per year, while the highest level was reached in 2018 with 362 deaths.

The increasing number of heat notes in Brandenburg illustrates that climate change affects the country. Since the 1950s, the number of hot days when the temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius rises has almost tripled from almost five to 15. Last summer, heat warnings were pronounced in Brandenburg over a total of eleven days. Children, the elderly and women who are often more affected by heat than men are particularly vulnerable.

climate change and health

Additional information about the heat -related mortality in the capital region show that in the period from 1985 to 2021, an average of 98 people in Berlin and 59 people in Brandenburg died of heat. The highest number of heat deaths in Berlin was registered in 1994 with 877. In 2022, 219 people died in Berlin 416 and in Brandenburg due to heat damage, as the Statistikstelle Berlin-Brandenburg reported.

The determination of heat-related deaths is carried out by statistical methods that use a comparison of the deaths in heat-intensive weeks with cooler weeks. According to the rki it is important to note that heat is rarely listed as a direct cause of death. Often it is disease states such as cardiovascular or respiratory diseases that lead to increased deaths in combination with extreme heat.

to combat the dangers caused by extreme heat, Brandenburg has implemented a heat protection plan. An associated network will meet in Potsdam on June 3 to discuss strategies and measures. The public is continuously informed about the risks and measures to counteract worrying development.