The most contradictory image to emerge from Europe this summer, where relentless heatwaves raged, was a video on social media showing tourists in Athens hanging out by the pool while huge clouds of smoke from out-of-control wildfires gathered above them.

It seemed to reflect society’s indifference or lack of understanding of the consequences of extreme weather, exacerbated by an overheated world. They were caught in a vicious circle: Europe was warming twice as fast as any other continent, and in a huge area on the Mediterranean coast, temperatures above 40 degrees in summer are the norm.

The consequences cannot be ignored if European countries want to maintain as much of their current levels of prosperity and well-being as possible. The health consequences of all this require a certain level of climate adaptation to respond to inevitable impacts and protect the most vulnerable citizens, something that is currently largely lacking.

A recent study in The Lancet Public Health predicts that the number of heat-related deaths in Europe could triple this century, with the number rising disproportionately in southern European countries. The total number of heat-related deaths would rise from 43,729 to 128,809 per year. This could pose “unprecedented challenges” to public health systems.

This is true to varying degrees across all European countries. It shows that the number of cold-related deaths in Ireland is likely to almost double in winter (from 3,974 currently to 7,696) and the number of heat-related deaths is likely to increase almost twenty-fold (from 30 to 563) in summer, when average temperatures are expected to rise by 3 degrees. Ireland is expected to experience a sharp increase in weather-related deaths, partly due to its rapidly ageing population.

In Europe, more people die from the cold than from the heat. However, if global warming reaches a catastrophic three or four degrees, the number of deaths from heat will increase significantly more than the number of deaths from cold.

The findings underline the need for stronger policy action to limit global warming in order to protect vulnerable regions and members of society. Europe has experienced some of its hottest summers in recent times, with high mortality rates and accident and emergency departments coming under enormous pressure during prolonged heatwaves.

A separate study by climate scientists at Maynooth University shows that extreme heat events in Ireland will become more frequent, higher temperatures and more widespread due to human-caused global warming, “with profound consequences for public health, agriculture, economic stability and infrastructure resilience”.

While we have recently experienced a prolonged period of cooler and wetter weather, the crippling heat will inevitably return in some form, and Ireland is not adequately prepared for the systemic challenges this will bring.