Darn you and your fossil fueled vehicle addiction! How dare you eat evil moo cows! It’s horrendous that you have central AC, a gas furnace, and a refrigerator!
Death warmed up: How Britain’s milder winters have ‘saved’ half a million lives
Half a million fewer people died in England and Wales as a result of cold weather as the climate warmed over the past 20 years, latest data from the Office for National Statistics has suggested.
Between 2001 and 2020, there was a decrease of 555,103 deaths associated with warm or cold temperature, about 27,000 a year, with the vast majority of the fall, 509,555, because of fewer people dying from the cold.
The Met Office has found that the period 1991-2020 was 0.9C warmer than the 1961-1990 average, while the 10 warmest years recorded have occurred since 2002.
To calculate what impact the changing temperature had on deaths, the ONS looked at how temperatures had impacted health conditions between 1990 and 2000, and calculated the change in the following two decades.
Let’s not forget that the 60’s through late 70’s was a slight cooling period, which would skew the temperatures for that time period down.
The figures showed that there were 108,722 extra hospitalisations associated with warm days over the period, but these did not lead to more deaths.
The ONS said that the findings confirmed climate change was affecting health in England and Wales, but said Britain’s temperate climate meant that the impact on deaths was limited and much of the health risk could be alleviated. (snip)
Cold weather can trigger respiratory and heart conditions, worsen dementia symptoms and depression, cause lethal injuries from slips, trips and falls, and increase car accidents.
The ONS study found that the biggest impact on mortality declines had come from falls in respiratory deaths, with 336,882 fewer deaths in the 20-year period compared to previous years.
There were also 270,280 fewer cardiovascular deaths and more than 100,000 fewer deaths from dementia of Alzheimer’s, with some conditions overlapping.
Of course, they go on to mention anthropogenic climate change. Why can’t this be mostly natural? Just like during the Medieval Warm Period, the Roman Warm Period, and others. None of which were caused mankind.
Read: Your Fault: Milder U.K. Winters Save Around 27,000 Lives Per Year »