A girl uses an umbrella to shield herself from the sun during a heat wave in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, Aug. 4, 2017.

(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

At a Glance

The study predicts thatweather-related disasters will kill 152,000 people a year in Europe between 2071 and 2100.The vast majority of deaths will be heat-related.

Two-thirds of Europeans will face yearly weather-related disasters that could result in a 50-fold increase in fatalities by the turn of the century, a new study says.

The study published this week in by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre concludes that ifcarbon emissions are not curbed and remain business as usual, some350 millionEuropeanswill be subjected to increased extreme weather events, includingheatwaves, cold spells, droughts, coastal flooding, wildfires and windstorms.

"Global warming could result in rapidly rising costs of weather-related hazards to human beings in Europe unless adequate adaptation measures are taken," the authors wrote.

The study predicts thatweather-related disasters will kill about152,000 people a year in Europe between 2071 and 2100, with 99 percent of those a result of heat waves. To compare, 3,000 weather-related deaths a year were documented between 1981 and 2010.

The study says the risk of extreme weather, which will affect southernEurope particularly hard, comes from a combination of factors, includingan increase in the frequency ofheatwaves, population growth and urbanization.

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The researchers warn that extreme weather events will cause more premature deaths than air pollution, and in countriesincludingItaly, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal and Slovenia,700 deaths per 1 million people are expected from extreme weather events annually.

In addition,coastal flooding-related deaths in Europe will rise from just six per year to 233 if global warming continues unchecked,the study says.

Those who will be at greatest risk includethe elderly, those with diseases like cardiovascular disease and the poor.