The heat waves experienced this past summer -2022- in Barcelona and its metropolitan area have been characterised by being 1) recurrent; 2) of long duration; and 3) of high intensity. Precisely, this exceptional heat has involved 423 deaths attributed to this phenomenon in the region of Barcelona, only in the months of July and August, with a special affectation to the female collective, -57% of the total, and 68% for the age group >85 years-. The above facts raise a great need to answer a question often asked by the public: are any of these heat waves caused by climate change? In other words, has climate change fuelled this exceptionally hot weather, which has triggered an increase in mortality? In scientific terms, the answer to these questions falls within the field of attributing extreme events to climate change. The aim of this project is to construct a methodology to answer these questions for a small but densely populated region such as Barcelona. Dealing with this issue in particular in this area represents a major technical challenge due to the complexity of working with atmospheric data that often do not fit the spatial needs of such a small and dynamic area. This limitation presents itself as one of the main challenges to be addressed in this project, in order to answer the above-mentioned questions at a sufficient level of spatial resolution to cross-check these results with other socio-economic indicators related to fuel poverty. The results of this project should enable the population to be empowered with rigorous and accurate climate information on the link between heat waves and climate change and their socio-economic impacts in Barcelona.
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