More heatwaves because of climate change: what is the impact in Luxembourg?

Due to climate change, heat waves are becoming more frequent. This also increases the risk of dehydration and heat deaths, especially among the elderly and sick. DP MPs André Bauler and Carole Hartmann asked the Minister of Health a series of questions on this issue, including how many heat deaths and dehydrations there have been in this country in recent years.

« Les canicules sont de plus en plus fréquentes et mettent également en danger les vies humaines. Les personnes atteintes de maladies chroniques, en particulier, courent le risque de succomber à la mort par la chaleur.

Chaque année depuis 2003, le gouvernement luxembourgeois attire l’attention sur le “Plan canicule”. Un dépliant, disponible en plusieurs langues, informe sur les règles de conduite importantes, dont il faut tenir compte en cas de forte chaleur.

Néanmoins, le changement climatique contribue de manière significative à l’aggravation des canicules, comme l’a récemment démontré une étude de « The Lancet ». Ainsi, la mortalité liée à la chaleur chez les personnes âgées de plus de 65 ans a augmenté de 53,7 % dans le monde entre 2000 et 2018. Et 37 % de tous les décès dus à la chaleur au cours des trois dernières décennies n’auraient pas eu lieu sans le changement climatique.

Dans ce contexte, nous aimerions poser les questions suivantes à Madame la Ministre de la Santé :

  • Combien de décès dus à la chaleur y a-t-il eu au Luxembourg chaque année depuis 2003, ventilés par catégorie d’âge ?
  • Madame la Ministre, dispose-t-elle d’informations sur les lieux où les décès dus à la chaleur se sont produits, par exemple à la maison, dans la voiture, à l’extérieur, etc.
  • Combien de cas de déshydratation ont été enregistrés au Luxembourg depuis 2003 ? »

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