Mortality rate in Cyprus, associated with air pollution is expected to increase eightfold by 2090, while deaths associated with extreme temperatures due to climate change are expected to increase sixteen-fold, according to a new study led by the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and an international research team which includes the Climate and Atmosphere Research Center (CARE-C) of The Cyprus Institute.
As announced by the Cyprus Institute, the number of deaths in Cyprus is estimated to increase from 307 to 2,615 per year, due to air pollution, while deaths due to extreme temperatures are expected to increase from 244 to 3,991 per year. It is worth noting that the population of Cyprus is expected to double, from 600 thousand to 1.26 million people.
The study finds that worldwide mortality rate linked to air pollution, and extreme temperatures could reach 30 million by the end of the century. In fact, it suggests that pollution-related deaths are expected to increase five-fold, while temperature-related mortality could rise seven-fold, posing a more critical health risk than air pollution for at least 20% of the world’s population.
The researchers base their calculations on projections from 2000 to 2090, analysed in ten-year intervals. “In 2000, around 1.6 million people died each year due to extreme temperatures, both cold and heat. By the end of the century, in the most realistic scenario, this figure climbs to 10.8 million, roughly a seven-fold increase. For air pollution, annual deaths in 2000 were about 4.1 million. By the century’s close, this number rises to 19.5 million, a five-fold increase,” explains Dr. Andrea Pozzer, group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz and adjunct associate professor at The Cyprus Institute in Nicosia, Cyprus.
“Climate change is not just an environmental issue; it is a direct threat to public health,” says Andrea Pozzer.
“These findings highlight the critical importance of implementing decisive mitigation measures now to prevent future loss of life”, adds Jean Sciare, director of the Climate and Atmosphere Research Center (CARE-C) of The Cyprus Institute, key contributor to the study.
