Scientific Presentations

LabTalks­@DCD

Department of Digital and Computational Demography
Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR), Rostock, Germany, May 14, 2025

11:00 AM: Talk with Tamas Hajdu - Heterogenous impacts of climate change on morbidity

Room 400 

Abstract

This study examines the effect of temperature on emergency department (ED) visits using administrative data covering 50% of the Hungarian population and 3.52 million ED visits from 2009 to 2017. The results show that ED visit rates increase when average temperatures exceed 10°C, primarily driven by mild cases that do not result in hospitalization. Approximately 60% of the increase in ED visits caused by high temperatures is attributable to injuries. In addition, higher humidity amplifies the heat effect, which is also stronger following consecutive hot days.

The findings indicate that the impacts of climate change – both present and future – are substantial. Between 2009 and 2017, 0.66% of the ED visits were attributed to temperature changes relative to the period 1950–1989. Furthermore, by the 2050s, compared to the first 15 years of the 21st century, the annual ED visit rate is projected to rise by 1.24%–1.70%, depending on the climate scenario. A heterogeneity analysis reveals that the effects of high temperatures and the future impacts of climate change are disproportionately greater in lower-income districts, areas with lower general practitioner density, and among younger adults.

About

Tamás Hajdu is senior research fellow at the HUN-REN Centre for Economic and Regional Studies in Hungary. He is an empirical economist with a primary research focus on health inequalities and the impacts of temperature and climate change.

Register to Take Part

You would like to attend the Online Seminar Talk? You are very welcome. Please register by writing an e-mail to office-zagheni@demogr.mpg.de.
 

Online Seminar Talk, May, 14th from 11:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Rostock time)