Heat Chatter

I read this in the AM today.....according to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 489,000 heat-related deaths occurred globally each year between 2000 and 2019, with the WHO European Region accounting for 36-percent of them or more than 175,000 deaths annually on average. 

More or less....heat stress.

My belief in this numbers stuff?  

Living around Germany for 30-odd years....yeah, I've seen awful stupid stuff.

While at Bitburg....we  had a Lt  in the office....barely on base four weeks, who signed up for a Volksmarch on a 34 C Saturday (93 F).  Long about the 90 minute  point....he had heat exhaustion issues....requires emergency 'help', and got a ambulance ride back to the base.

I went on a 16 km 'walk' here in the hills around Wiesbaden on a 35 C day, with a 1-liter container of water.  Long about the 90 minute point....I had finished off  the bottle and realized....I was still a good 5 km from finishing (at a bus-stop). I wouldn't make it....without more water.  So I altered my route...ending up in some German grocery 2km away, and buying a fresh bottle of water before I collapsed on the path.

Do I believe 3,000 Germans die yearly from heat exhaustion?  No....there are mild-regular summers where it probably ranges in the 1,200 to 1,500 range....with ultra-hot summers in the 5k range.

For 2025....the number often cited is around 1,477....from sources I consider 'safe'.

2022?  It was a harsh summer...most folks arguing the number got up around 6,000.

The 2018 harsh summer?  That gets discussions brought up....'wave' after 'wave'...where some 'experts' state a 8k-plus number.  

The idea that Germans ought to wise-up on heat exhaustion?  On our regional network (HR)....they will waste a whole Wednesday night 45-minute 'slot'....usually in May...hyping up heat stroke and how to recognize a harsh situation.  

My worst experience?  Around 2016...I went off about 150 km on a train (early AM) in mid-July to a museum.  By noon, I was ready to return.  The AC unit on the train?  Failing.  By the 30th minute of the trip....the temp in the car raging near 44 C.  I got off the train....sat in a bar for hour....cooling off.  Then managed to ride the rest of the trip.