Publication Date December 6, 2004 | Spiegel

Global warming: a man-made heat wave

Germany
An aerial view shows dried out areas of the Rhine river in Cologne, Germany. Photo: Henning Kaiser, EPA
An aerial view shows dried out areas of the Rhine river in Cologne, Germany. Photo: Henning Kaiser, EPA

In a major scientific breakthrough, climate researchers for the first time establish a connection between man-made pollution and natural disasters. The August 2003 heat wave in Europe, which killed tens of thousands across Europe, was mostly caused by environmental pollution...Heat shows no mercy. During the first two weeks of August 2003, between 22,000 and 35,000 more people died than would normally be expected in Europe. In France, where the greatest number of elderly died -- many patients in rest homes and other care centers -- the death rate rose by an astounding 54 percent. Estimates in Germany put the number of dead at around 7,000.