Attributing heatwave mortality to human-induced climate change in Greece: a case-crossover and attribution analysis...

Heatwaves increasingly threaten public health in the Mediterranean region, and Greece is among the hardest hit countries. Yet evidence on long-term adaptation, spatial vulnerability, and the contribution of human-induced climate change to heatwave-related mortality in Greece remains limited.

We analysed 2,144,957 all-cause deaths in Greece (2000-2019) in people older than 65 years using a time-stratified case-crossover design. We derived population-weighted daily maximum temperatures at NUTS3 level from ERA5 reanalysis and WorldPop. We applied six heatwave definitions (HD1-HD6) varying by duration (≥ 2 or ≥ 3 days) and thresholds (90th, 95th, 99th percentiles). We fitted Bayesian hierarchical Poisson models to estimate heatwave-mortality associations varying by space and time. We additionally adjusted for relative humidity and national holidays. We then combined these estimates with probabilistic climate-attribution methods to quantify the number and proportion of heatwave-related deaths attributable to human-induced climate change.

Heatwaves raised mortality consistently, with relative risks from 1.08 (95% CrI (Credible Interval): 1.07-1.09; HD1) to 1.15 (1.12-1.19; HD6). Risks increased with heatwave intensity and duration, with particularly high risks observed among females and older adults. We did not detect a consistent temporal decline in risk or marked spatial heterogeneity. Human-induced climate change accounted for 46-80% of heatwave-related deaths across definitions. The proportion attributable to climate change rose over time.

Heatwaves already impose a major mortality burden in Greece, with more than half driven by anthropogenic climate change and little evidence of population-level adaptation. These findings call for rapid emissions reductions and targeted adaptation, including stronger heat-health warning systems and protection of vulnerable groups.