Researchers at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro examined 14 of the most populous urban areas in Brazil, finding 48,075 excess deaths (more than the norm) related to heatwaves between 2000 and 2018, mainly in the North, Northeast, and Midwest of the country. The Metropolitan Regions of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Recife, Belém, and Cuiabá had the highest heat-related mortality rates. The most vulnerable groups were the elderly, women, Black and biracial people, people with a lower level of education, and people with comorbidities, such as cancer. The main causes of death during heatwaves were associated with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. The authors of the resulting paper emphasized that “strengthening primary healthcare, combined with reducing socioeconomic and gender inequalities, would represent a crucial step forward in reducing heat-related deaths in Brazil.” According to a study of mortality and temperatures in 326 cities across Latin America, for every 1 degree Celsius (oC) that the temperature rises, there is an estimated 5.7% increase in the risk of death, especially among elderly people with cardiovascular diseases or cancer (preprint, SSRN).
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Higher mortality in metropolises
Heatwave in the capital of São Paulo in 2014: dangerous to those with cardiac or respiratory problems
J.Duran Machfee / Folhapress
