During heat waves, people at risk can protect themselves by moving to medium altitudes. Between 1000 and 2500 m’there is a lower mortality rate in the Alps, which is probably also due to the lower temperatures. This is pointed out by sports scientist Martin Burtscher from the University of Innsbruck.
The consequences of the climate crisis include increasing heat waves, which are also clearly noticeable in Europe. Elderly and sick people in cities are considered to be particularly at risk. Moving to medium altitudes between 1,000 and 2,500 meters is a good way to protect yourself from the health risks of hot spells. Martin Burtscher, Professor of Sports Science at the University of Innsbruck, points this out in the internationally renowned medical journal The Lancet.
Burtscher is an expert in high-altitude medicine, performance physiology and metabolism. In his published letter, he refers to a , which was published in The Lancet in January 2023. The results are consistent with observations from his own studies.
"It is interesting that the reduction in mortality with increasing altitude observed by us in Austria and also by scientists in Switzerland corresponds quite closely to that which would be expected from cooler summer temperatures in cities," says Burtscher.
Long-term and short-term strategies against heat
At altitudes between 1000 m to 2500 m, the general mortality rate in Austria decreases by about 20% compared to areas below 250 m. This is most likely due to lower temperatures. This is most likely also due to the lower temperature, which decreases by about 6.5 °C per 1000 m’altitude. In addition, there are other favorable effects of medium altitudes, for example a poverty of allergens and lower dust exposure.
The original study by the Institute for Global Health in Barcelona was able to demonstrate that so-called "urban heat islands" lead to a significantly higher mortality rate. At the same time, this effect can be curbed by increasing the greening of cities with trees. With an area coverage of 30%, trees could cool a city by an average of 0.4 °C, which is associated with a reduction of 1.8% in premature deaths.
"Greening cities is a good long-term strategy to counter the health effects of heat waves," says Burtscher. "But in the short term, especially in Austria, moving to medium altitudes could be helpful to protect vulnerable people during heat waves."
Publication
Johannes Burtscher, Grégoire P Millet, Martin Burtscher, Reduced mortality in cooler environments. The Lancet, Volume 401, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)02585-5.
