Even though heatwaves are becoming more frequent in the wake of climate change, the proportion of people dying from extreme heat is steadily decreasing, according to a new study published in Plos.
Mortality rates decreased by 7.2 percent per decade during the measured period of 1990-2019.
Roughly 150,000 deaths per year are linked to heatwaves in the 750 locations in 43 countries or regions examined in the study.
We have early warning systems and we have better housing, so over time, mortality rates are decreasing for both cold and warm temperatures around the world, says Elena Raffetti, researcher at Cambridge and KI, to Vetenskapsradion.