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Chilling new research from the Lancet Planetary Health has revealed just how dangerous cold weather really is: between 2010 and 2019, there were nearly 60,500 annual excess deaths associated with low temperatures across England and Wales, compared to 800 from extreme heat. Particularly in the North East, which typically experiences the coolest temperatures in the country, residents are advised to wrap up warm this winter to stave off howling winds and the bite of ice cold temperatures. The cold can kill…
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has more:
“cold-related mortality is evidently a considerable health burden, particularly in deprived areas, and should be addressed with targeted public health interventions.”
Guido’s done his own research to help those feeling the chill. The NHS has a few helpful suggestions, including using electric blankets and having plenty of hot drinks. In the event of extreme heat, Guido recommends drinking lots of water, staying in the shade, and performatively convening COBRA meetings to stress the danger. Weather reports should include scary heat maps so people know for sure that the sun is out. With 60,000 annual deaths due to the cold compared to 800 resulting from extreme heat, Guido can only hope that rising average temperatures will save more lives in the future, as a real demonstration of climate justice in action. Always see the sunny side…
