Hotter temperatures could kill 2,000 more a year in US: study

A rise in temperature of just two degrees Celsius could lead to an additional 2,100 deaths from injuries every year in the United States, researchers said on Monday, highlighting another danger posed by global warming.

Most of the extra fatalities would be men aged 15-34 years due to a heightened risk of drowning and road traffic accidents, with alcohol consumption tending to rise in line with temperatures.

Researchers from Britain and the US studied the number of deaths from injuries on a state-by-state basis for every year between 1980 and 2017.

The deaths were classed either as accidental -- from vehicle crashes, falls, drowning and so on -- or intentional, from say assault and suicide.

They then tracked unusual temperature changes for each county over the same period and found that deaths from injuries tended to rise during warmer months, particularly in populous southern states such as California, Texas and Florida.

The authors of the study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, said the findings indicated a strong link between the risk of dying from injury and rising global temperatures triggered by climate change.

"These new results show how much climate change can affect young people," said Majid Ezzati, senior study author and a professor at Imperial College London.

"We need to respond to this threat with better preparedness in terms of emergency services, social support and health warnings."