Bethany Rielly
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THIS summer’s heatwave killed a record number of pensioners in England, official figures suggest.
Across the five hot spells in June, July and August, when temperatures soared to a record 40°C, there were 2,803 excess deaths among people aged 65 and over, the highest since records began in 2004.
The figures were published in a joint report on Friday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
The deaths were recorded during the five heat periods between June and August 2022 — defined as days when the average temperature is greater than 20°C in central England.
During those periods, there were 3,271 excess deaths in total — 6.2 per cent above the long-term average for that time of year.
Environmental campaigners said that the figures show that lives are already being cut short by the climate crisis, warning that more people will be killed unless PM Liz Truss abandons plans to drill for more fossil fuels.
Greenpeace UK climate campaigner Georgia Whitaker said: “This year’s unusually high rate of heat-induced deaths will not remain unusual for long unless we speed up decarbonisation dramatically and insulate our homes to keep them cooler in summer as well as warmer in winter.
“But this government seems to be heading in the opposite direction, and their shambles of an energy policy will have a heavy cost in the lives of our grandparents — another bill from the fossil fuel companies which this government seems determined to keep paying in full.”
Most excess deaths were among people who had dementia and Alzheimer’s, the ONS said.
People in older age groups with these conditions are most at risk during periods of intense heat as they are less able to understand and communicate their risk of dehydration.
An Extinction Rebellion spokesperson said: “The worst thing about these figures is that this is only the beginning as the climate crisis intensifies.
“If we ‘stay the course’, as [Prime Minister] Liz Truss suggested in her party conference speech this week, we [are] looking at far more fatalities in the years to come.”
