1 st International Conference on Environmental Design (ICED2020) 24‐25 October 2020, Athens, Greece 107 CORRELATION BETWEEN DEATHS IN GREECE AND EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS P. Kantartzopoulou 1 , T. Kalyvas 1 , E. Zervas 1,* 1 School of Science and Technology, Hellenic Open University, 26335, Patras, Greece (panagkantartzopoulou@gmail.com, ekaly@tee.gr, zervas@eap.gr) ABSTRACT The objective of this study is to investigate the correlations between the frequency of deaths and the ambient temperature. For this purpose, the data of ambient temperature and deaths in Greece were analyzed for the period 2014 – 2016. The data regarding the number and cause of deaths were obtained from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT). The deaths were classified according to gender and age groups (every five years). Two main categories of diseases were considered as causes of death in this work: heart diseases and respiratory diseases. The temperature data were obtained from the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS), for the stations Florina, Mikra, Alexandroupoli, Ioannina, Larissa, Mytilini, Araxos, Tripoli and Tatoi, covering the entire Greece. An average daily temperature of these stations were used. The deaths were subsequently correlated with temperature data. For both genders and for all age groups, the total number of deaths in 2014 and 2015 show a U form, with a minimum at about 20‐21 o C. The same trend is observed in the case of deaths from cardiac of respiratory causes for both men and women. KEYWORDS extreme weather events; heart diseases; human health; mortality; respiratory diseases; temperature 1. INTRODUCTION Climate change may well constitute the biggest global health threat of the 21 st century [1] . The weather variability is a risk factor for mortality and many studies have been carried out in order to reveal the relationship between mortality and environmental variables, especially air temperature [2] . In this context, the present study investigates the relationship between the number of deaths in Greece and the air temperature, for a given time period. The findings of this study can be useful for implementing strategies which protect the public health. The data that were collected and analyzed, can serve as a database for future research. 2. METHODOLOGY Data regarding the number of deaths in Greece in years 2014, 2015 and 2016, were obtained from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT). The deaths were classified according to gender and 5 year age groups: 0‐4, 5‐9, 10‐14, 15‐19, 20‐24, 25‐29, 30‐34, 35‐39, 40‐44, 45‐49, 50‐ 54, 55‐59, 60‐64, 65‐69, 70‐74, 75‐79, 80‐84, 85+. In particular, 2 main categories of diseases were considered as causes of death, so the deaths were also classified according to them: Heart diseases (heart attacks, diseases of the