At a recent major underwriting conference, the agenda included discussion of the increased trend in mortality associated with heat waves. This topic began to get attention in the early 21st century when more than 20,000 deaths in Europe were attributed to the record-breaking heatwave in August 2003 (1). Since then and almost every year since, news reports bear the sad news of clusters of deaths during short, intense periods of heat. Closer to home, we remember the ‘Heat Dome’ that settled over much of British Columbia between June 25th and July 1st of 2021. Breaking 103 all-time heat records including a 49.6 Celsius one-day high in Lytton, resulting in a wildfire that destroyed the town the next day. In that period, 650 heat-related deaths were confirmed in B.C. (2). Back in Europe, summers regularly include death counts, like the 2023 heatwave death toll in France of 5,167 people, the majority affecting those over the age of 75 (3). Continue reading “Paying Attention to Climate Change”
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Paying Attention to Climate Change