Cold Kills Far More People Than Heat Does Also In England And Wales, Recent ONS Report Finds

Warmer mean temperature led to fewer deaths in England and Wales from 2001 – 2020.

On Wednesday, we reported how cold kills seven times more people in Pune city, India than heat does.

Earlier this year the British Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that also in England and Wales cold kills more people than heat. Over the past 30 years, the mean temperature for the region has increased by nearly 1°C compared to the prior decades. What affect has this had on mortality? The mildre temperatures are good news, it turns out.

According to the report:

Over a 20-year period the estimated change in deaths associated with warm or cold temperature was a net decrease of 555,094, an average of 27,755 deaths per year (Table 1). A decrease in deaths from outcomes associated with cold temperature greatly outnumbers deaths associated with warm temperature.”

90% of the reduced deaths were attributed to milder winter days. The other 10% were attributed to the warmer summer days.

Source: ONS

Warmer summer days were found to be associated with more outdoor activity, which leads to a “net increase in hospital admissions”…”especially from injuries”.  The report also says “direct harm from extreme heat is still less common, but is likely to change over time.”

In summary, the less harsh winters in England and Wales have saved some half a million lives over the 20-year period.

Hat-tip: Klimaschau 109




2 responses to “Cold Kills Far More People Than Heat Does Also In England And Wales, Recent ONS Report Finds”

  1. Richard Greene

    Cold weather is much more dangerous — just ask any cardiac patient.
    It’s a also the season people spend a lot more time indoors where respiratory desease spread much easier than outdoors.

    But these studies are nonsense.
    First of all, the average temperature did not increase +1 degree C. in every hour of a year. And some warming is due to the urban heat island effect from economic and population growth.

    In general, the biggest change in the temperature since 1975 was in the Northern half of the Northern Peninsula, mainly in the six colder months of the year, and mainly at night (TMIN).

    How would warmer winter nights in Siberia, for one example, affect the health of the few people living in Siberia?
    Probably would improve their health and longevity.

    But the biggest change in the temperature is at dawn when most people are sleeping indoors, not at all affected by the slightly warmer temperature outdoors at dawn.

    Considering all the confounding factors involved in human health and longevity, these studies arr complete nonsense.

  2. Yonason

    Warmer mean temperature lead to fewer deaths

    🙄

    This has been known for millennia, but leave it to concrete thinking blockheads to make it seem like we’ve just discovered it.

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