Context
Europe has seen a rise in more frequent and intense heatwaves, with a significant mortality impact. While hazard and exposure are key factors, vulnerability drivers play a crucial role in shaping these outcomes. A few analyses have examined these drivers at a continental scale, but this study presents the first dynamic heat vulnerability assessment for Europe, incorporating spatial and temporal dimensions through ordinary least squares regression.
Key findings
- By identifying impact, hazard, exposure, and vulnerability data, the authors developed the European Heat Vulnerability Index (Eu-HVI) for 2000–2019 as a weighted sum of the selected drivers, using the regression coefficients as weights.
- The results highlight foreign citizenship and urbanization as the most influential drivers of heatwave-related mortality, with a 1% increase in the percentage of foreign citizens, and the size of urban areas associated with a 12.1% and 7.3% rise in heatwave-related mortality, respectively.
- Foreign citizens appear to face increased heat vulnerability due to intersecting socioeconomic factors. This could be due to language barriers, social isolation, or limited access to healthcare and public warnings.
- Urban areas on the other hand appear to be more affected, possibly due to the so called “urban heat island” effect (cities being hotter than rural areas because of concrete and traffic).
Implications
Authors recommend policy makers more attention to better support migrants and foreign residents, with targeted communication and improved social services; sustainable urban planning and nature-based solutions on the other hand, could enhance resilience in rapidly urbanizing areas, ensuring equitable access to green spaces. This kind of analysis helps governments and cities make better decisions to protect vulnerable populations during extreme heat.
References
Sestito B., Reimann L., Mazzoleni M., et al. Identifying vulnerability factors associated with heatwave mortality: a spatial statistical analysis across Europe. In Environmental Research Letters, 20, 044025.
