LISBON: More than 1,000 people have died in Portugal as a result of the current heat wave, with the health minister warning on Tuesday that the country must prepare to deal with the repercussions of climate change as temperatures continue to climb.
“Portugal is one of the areas in the world that could be (more) hit by excessive heat,” DGS head Graça Freitas told Reuters. “We must become increasingly prepared for periods of high temperatures.”
Last week, temperatures in drought-stricken Portugal topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Although they have reduced in recent days, Freitas says they are still above usual for this time of year.
DGS had reported 238 excess deaths during the July 7 to 13 heat wave, but Freitas stated the number of fatalities has now risen to 1,063 for the week ending July 18.
High temperatures, an ongoing drought, and poor forest management have all been blamed for many wildfires that have swept across Portugal. Firefighters are also battling blazes in other southern European countries, including Spain.
In an interview, Carlos Antunes, a researcher at Lisbon University’s faculty of sciences, stated that data showed that elderly people were the most likely to die as a result of heat waves.
He stated that the number of deaths in the future will be determined, among other things, by the preventive steps people take to protect themselves, how care facilities care for their inhabitants, and infrastructure adaptation.
“With climate change, it is projected that this increase in mortality will intensify, therefore we must adopt public health steps to mitigate the impact,” Antunes added.
