Extreme heat could lead to 30,000 deaths a year in England and Wales by 2070s, say scientists

The record-setting hot summer of 2022 had 2,985 excess heat deaths. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

More than 30,000 people a year in England and Wales could die from heat-related causes by the 2070s, scientists have warned.

A new study calculates that heat mortality could rise more than fiftyfold in 50 years because of climate heating. Researchers at UCL and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine compared different potential scenarios, looking at levels of warming, measures to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis, regional climatic differences and potential power outages. They also modelled the ageing population.