Heatwaves worsen air quality and pollution: World Meteorological Organisation
1 year, 3 months ago

Heatwaves worsen air quality and pollution: World Meteorological Organisation

Hindustan Times  

The extreme heatwaves witnessed by the world recently are increasing in intensity and frequency due to climate change. This extreme heat, compounded by wildfires and desert dust, is having a measurable impact on air quality, human health and the environment, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organisation. The 2023 WMO Air Quality and Climate Bulletin, the third in an annual series, puts the spotlight on heatwaves to draw attention to the fact that it is not just high temperatures that are a hazard, but also the impacts of resulting pollution which are often overlooked but are just as pernicious. “Heatwaves worsen air quality, with knock-on effects on human health, ecosystems, agriculture and indeed our daily lives,” said WMO Secretary-General Prof Petteri Taalas. This has caused dangerous air quality levels for many millions of people, and sent plumes of smoke across the Atlantic and into the Arctic,” Prof Taalas stated.

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History of this topic

Heat, air pollution, disease: Here's how climate change affects health
1 month, 1 week ago

Heat, air pollution, disease: Here's how climate change affects health

Hindustan Times  

Record-breaking heat, extreme weather events, air pollution and the spread of infectious disease: climate change poses an already vast yet rising threat to the health of humans around the world, experts warn. Extreme heat The EU's climate monitor said this week that 2024 is "virtually certain" to surpass last year to become the hottest year in recorded history. Out of …

"Alarm bells ringing" as report finds greenhouse gas emissions growing faster than ever
1 month, 3 weeks ago

"Alarm bells ringing" as report finds greenhouse gas emissions growing faster than ever

Salon  

The World Meteorological Organization, released its annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin earlier this week, reporting that humans are emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at a faster rate than ever before, contributing significantly to climate change. The WMO reports historically high levels of the greenhouse gasses methane and nitrous oxide, which like carbon dioxide are common byproducts of human industry. These …

United Nations urges nations to adopt several proposals aimed at reducing heat deaths; asks to care for vulnerable people
4 months, 3 weeks ago

United Nations urges nations to adopt several proposals aimed at reducing heat deaths; asks to care for vulnerable people

The Hindu  

After three of Earth's hottest days ever measured, the United Nations called for a flurry of efforts to try to reduce the human toll from soaring and searing temperatures, calling it “an extreme heat epidemic.” “If there is one thing that unites our divided world, it's that we're all increasingly feeling the heat,” United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said …

Out-of-control heat is making Earth more "weird" — and more deadly
5 months, 1 week ago

Out-of-control heat is making Earth more "weird" — and more deadly

Salon  

For the 13th consecutive month, Earth's average monthly temperature has broken all previous records, continuing a streak that began in June 2023. "We see increases in deadly heat waves and droughts, but also an increased experience of 'global weirding' — more extreme weather events producing conditions that are entirely new for communities." "It's a stark warning that we are getting …

Heatwave takes a toll but no data on deaths
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Heatwave takes a toll but no data on deaths

Hindustan Times  

In April, east and southeast peninsular India saw an intense spell of humid heat, and Odisha and West Bengal, one between April 15 and 30, which expanded over days to Bihar, Jharkhand and south peninsular India. {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} In May, Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal and parts of peninsular India saw an intense spell of heat, Rajasthan, between May …

WA had its hottest summer ever, but climate change and heat-related health problems barely made the news
9 months ago

WA had its hottest summer ever, but climate change and heat-related health problems barely made the news

ABC  

In early February of this year, when the Perth heat really got going, my partner was 28 weeks pregnant. "And if we are seeing discussion of climate change around the WA heatwaves, it's very infrequent and often in passing," she said. "We can say that, overall, the reporting of climate change and heatwaves for the month of February in Australia …

New UN weather agency chief says rate of global warming is speeding up
10 months, 2 weeks ago

New UN weather agency chief says rate of global warming is speeding up

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In her first sit-down interview since taking office last …

Past decade was the hottest on record as climate change ‘surged alarmingly,’ WMO reports
1 year ago

Past decade was the hottest on record as climate change ‘surged alarmingly,’ WMO reports

CNN  

CNN — The decade between 2011 and 2020 was the hottest on record for the planet’s land and oceans as the rate of climate change “surged alarmingly,” according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization. Climate pollution from all fossil fuel types — coal, oil, and natural gas — increased around the world, the Global Carbon Project found, …

Human-induced climate crisis responsible for killer heatwaves sweeping planet, scientists say
1 year, 4 months ago

Human-induced climate crisis responsible for killer heatwaves sweeping planet, scientists say

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The researchers evaluated the role of climate crisis in these extreme heat events using peer-reviewed methods, weather station data …

What is worse than extreme heat? Extreme heat plus air pollution
1 year, 5 months ago

What is worse than extreme heat? Extreme heat plus air pollution

The Hindu  

Heat waves and air pollution from wildfire smoke and other sources are each problematic for human health, particularly for vulnerable populations such as older adults. The risk of death on those extra-hot and polluted days was about three times greater than the effect of either high heat or high air pollution alone. Why risks are higher when both hit at …

Extreme heat contributed to more than 60,000 deaths in Europe last year
1 year, 5 months ago

Extreme heat contributed to more than 60,000 deaths in Europe last year

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “The findings of the current study, with over 61,000 estimated heat-related deaths, further support the evidence that heatwaves have …

The Severe Implications Of Heatwaves On The Climate
1 year, 9 months ago

The Severe Implications Of Heatwaves On The Climate

News 18  

Today, we live in a world where global warming and climate change are serious threats. With the average global temperatures rising, the probability of extreme hot temperature anomalies is also increasing, further leading to long, frequent and intense heatwaves. The possible solutions to deal with heatwaves’ impact With the rise in global warming, industry reports predict heatwaves will become all …

Future heatwaves will lead to large ‘loss of life’, report warns
2 years, 2 months ago

Future heatwaves will lead to large ‘loss of life’, report warns

Al Jazeera  

Publication by the UN, Red Cross says 38 heatwaves accounted for the deaths of more than 70,000 people worldwide from 2010 to 2019. The effects of recurrent heatwaves would include “large scale suffering and loss of life”, population movements and increased inequality, the report warned, adding that these trends were “already emerging”. “It’s grossly unjust that fragile countries must bear …

New Study Warns of Dangerously High Heat Levels in India as Global Emissions Rise in Coming Decades
2 years, 3 months ago

New Study Warns of Dangerously High Heat Levels in India as Global Emissions Rise in Coming Decades

News 18  

Many people living in tropical regions like India are likely to be exposed to “dangerously high” heat levels during most days of each typical year in the coming decades, warn scientists in their latest study on impact of climate change. “In the tropics and subtropics, where the dangerous Heat Index threshold was typically exceeded on less than 15% of the …

Heatwaves are getting worse - what role does climate change play?
2 years, 3 months ago

Heatwaves are getting worse - what role does climate change play?

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In the past 100 years, heatwaves have become hotter and more frequent across the world, according to the latest …

DC Edit | Heatwaves are the new normal
2 years, 4 months ago

DC Edit | Heatwaves are the new normal

Deccan Chronicle  

Conspiracy theories on climate change have almost ceased to gain currency as real events have forced people to accept what they are now experiencing year after year. Two latest studies point to the possibility of climate change making extreme weather events happen. The Met Office, Britain’s national meteorological service, says climate change made the current heatwave a whopping 100 times …

Heatwaves linked to man-made climate change: TNQ-Janelia webinar
2 years, 7 months ago

Heatwaves linked to man-made climate change: TNQ-Janelia webinar

The Hindu  

India is gripped in the throes of a long spell of heatwaves and there is compelling evidence that a significant portion of it is due to human-induced climate change, said scientists who were part of an online webinar on climate change organised as part of the TNQ-Janelia Climate Change Summit on Friday. Societal transformation, mitigating carbon dioxide emissions and adaption …

Can heat waves impact your mental health?
2 years, 8 months ago

Can heat waves impact your mental health?

Live Mint  

As the mercury continues to rise across cities and states, many of us can feel the effects of extreme heat in the country. Apart from the impact of such high temperatures on physical health like exhaustion, heatstroke, lethargy, and dehydration, different studies have now recognised the effects of heat waves and extreme heat on mental health. The sixth assessment report …

Heat wave a glimpse of climate change’s impact in N. America
2 years, 9 months ago

Heat wave a glimpse of climate change’s impact in N. America

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. — The U.S. Pacific Northwest was in the throes of a record-shattering heat wave last summer when a woman in her 70s was wheeled into an emergency room with symptoms of a life-threatening heat stroke. “Twenty years ago, it seems like we would talk about climate change as something that would happen over the coming generations — and …

Climate change is killing people, but there's still time to reverse the damage
2 years, 9 months ago

Climate change is killing people, but there's still time to reverse the damage

NPR  

Climate change is killing people, but there's still time to reverse the damage Enlarge this image toggle caption Nathan Howard/Getty Images Nathan Howard/Getty Images Billions of people on every continent are suffering because of climate change, according to a major new United Nations report released on Monday. "Climate change has already affected the physical and mental health of many Americans," …

Editorial: Climate change fuels deadly heat waves. Ranking them like hurricanes could save lives
2 years, 10 months ago

Editorial: Climate change fuels deadly heat waves. Ranking them like hurricanes could save lives

LA Times  

The sun sets over wind turbines on a day when temperatures reached 110 degrees in the Coachella Valley in July 2021. State Assemblymembers Luz Rivas and Eduardo Garcia have introduced legislation that would make California the first state in the nation to establish a ranking system for heat waves and provide early warnings. In 2020, California experienced severe, back-to-back heat …

This summer’s disasters show climate change is very much ‘a rich-country problem’ now
3 years, 4 months ago

This summer’s disasters show climate change is very much ‘a rich-country problem’ now

LA Times  

A man stands under a spray of water to beat the heat at a splash park in Calgary, Alberta, in June. Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. had what climate scientist Zeke Hausfather called “scary” heat that soared well past triple digits on the thermometer, shattering records and accompanied by unusual wildfires. What happens with U.S. hurricane and …

Opinion: Health risks from heat waves send a climate alarm
3 years, 5 months ago

Opinion: Health risks from heat waves send a climate alarm

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Neelu Tummala, MD, is an ENT surgeon and clinical assistant professor of surgery at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and is the vice-chair of public relations for Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action. Using a walker for support, she takes three different modes of public transportation and braves the elements – whether it’s rain, snow …

Leaked UN draft report warns of accelerating climate devastation
3 years, 6 months ago

Leaked UN draft report warns of accelerating climate devastation

Al Jazeera  

Devastating climate effects from unliveable heat to more widespread disease are accelerating and will become obvious within 30 years, draft UN report says. That goal is enshrined in the 2015 Paris Agreement, adopted by nearly 200 nations which pledged to collectively cap warming at “well below” two degrees Celsius – and 1.5 degrees if possible. But the UN draft report …

Western heat wave threatens health in vulnerable communities
3 years, 6 months ago

Western heat wave threatens health in vulnerable communities

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Extreme temperatures like the ones blistering the American West this week aren’t just annoying, they’re deadly. With more frequent and intense heat waves likely because of climate change and the worst drought in modern history, they say communities must better protect the vulnerable, like homeless people and those who live in ethnically and racially diverse low-income neighborhoods. “This …

Western heat wave threatens health in vulnerable communities
3 years, 6 months ago

Western heat wave threatens health in vulnerable communities

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. With more frequent and intense heat …

Climate Change Caused One-third of Heat Deaths in Last Three Decades, Study Reveals
3 years, 6 months ago

Climate Change Caused One-third of Heat Deaths in Last Three Decades, Study Reveals

News 18  

Human-induced climate change is responsible for nearly a third or 37 percent of heat deaths in the last three decades, according to a study led by an international team of researchers. The study, published in the Nature Climate Change, used information on heat deaths and temperature readings to build computer models that calculated how many deaths could be attributed to …

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