A recent study by the prestigious multinational dedicated to market and trend research reveals that 42% of Spaniards perceive global warming as a serious threat.
Against all odds, it is already the second cause of concern in our country after the economic uncertainty associated with high inflation.
In addition, around half of the Spanish population believes that we are at the beginning of the sixth mass extinction of the planet.
We think about future problems, but they are already here
A significant part of these people think that both climate change and the massive loss of biodiversity could have important consequences on our health and well-being in the future.
And they consider that these problems that can arrive:
-
In the form of direct effects of extreme weather events (heat waves, cold, floods, gales…)
-
Increasing infectious and parasitic diseases
-
In the occurrence of pandemics and epidemics.
But the reality is that you don’t have to wait for the future.
Global warming and the loss of biodiversity are already having a catastrophic effect on our health today, and at levels that far exceed even the most pessimistic forecasts.
Extreme weather phenomena as a cause of death
Undoubtedly the worst possible consequence of any of these events is that it cost us our lives.
And we have a nice way to measure that consequence:
-
By calculating excess mortality that measures the temporary increase in the mortality rate (that is, the increase in the proportion of people who die with respect to the total population during a certain period of time).
The daily Mortality Monitoring systems at the European Union level and at the national level estimate these excess mortality.
Other organizations also do so, such as the INE, which in our country obtains data on the causes of death from medical death certificates.
Among the main causes of excess mortality are:
-
Extreme weather phenomena, such as heat or cold waves
-
Pandemics and epidemics
-
famines,
-
wars,
-
Pollution
-
and the deterioration of health systems.
Alarming growth of excess mortality in Europe
Until recently Europe was a place with declining mortality rates. Unfortunately today the excess mortality figures in Europe, and particularly in Spain, could hardly be worse.
With an excess mortality of around 6%, Europe as a whole is not doing well at all.
Even the richest and most developed countries in the European Union show worrying excess mortality.
For example:
-
The Netherlands experienced excess mortality of 13.6%,
-
Norway 12%
-
Germany 10.7%
-
Denmark of 10.6%.
Only a few exceptions are saved, such as Slovakia, which reduced its mortality by almost 2%.
Spain and Portugal, the worst
Unfortunately, it is in Spain and Portugal where excess mortality is truly alarming.
Currently, our country is experiencing an excess mortality of 17%, practically tripling the European average.
We are the second country in Europe with the highest excess mortality, just after Portugal, which breaks all records with a brutal 24%.
In any case, our country comes from a period where excess mortality is the norm.
Things got very bad when COVID-19 hit us without us being able to defend ourselves at first.
-
Thus, during the long initial phase of the pandemic, Spain registered the highest excess mortality rates in Europe (and one of the highest in the world) with 80.8%.
-
Followed by Belgium (with 73.1%)
-
And already from afar the Netherlands (with 53.8%).
Why does mortality rise again at the end of 21?
After a dark period, deaths from COVID-19 finally began to drop significantly thanks to mass vaccination.
But at the end of 2021 Spain once again registered a disconcerting excess mortality that was not due to the coronavirus.
Thus, in November 2021 this very high number of unexpected deaths even quadrupled that of deaths from COVID-19.
The detailed analysis of the data shows that the serious deterioration of the Spanish public health system, denounced over and over again by various health groups, is one of the main causes that allows us to understand our catastrophic situation.
Most of the excess mortality that is occurring today is no longer due to COVID-19.
In fact, the main causes of this excess death are:
-
circulatory diseases,
-
Closely followed by deaths from damage caused by diabetes
-
And, at a greater distance, by deaths caused by diseases of the urinary system.
…