Experts warn of health risks as extreme heat sweeps the globe
1 year, 5 months ago

Experts warn of health risks as extreme heat sweeps the globe

Al Jazeera  

‘Heatwaves are one of the most deadly natural hazards,’ climate scientist says as high temperatures scorch parts of US, Asia and Europe. Babies, seniors, active people and those more exposed to high temperatures, such as the homeless, are usually more susceptible to heat-related health risks Existing conditions, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, can also heighten risks and be exacerbated by heat. “We don’t often see the impact that they have had on human health until the mortality statistics are published many months later.” Overlooked risks Air pollution also poses a health risk, and smoke from heat-fed wildfires can cause inflammation and tissue damage. Vikki Thompson, a climate scientist at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, said extreme heat can contribute to a wide variety of issues, including poorer mental health, car crashes and drownings.

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History of this topic

Young people are dying of heat and their risks could grow, study finds
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Young people are dying of heat and their risks could grow, study finds

NPR  

Young people are dying of heat and their risks could grow, study finds toggle caption Ulises Ruiz/AFP via Getty Images Extreme heat puts stress on everyone's bodies. "Young people are disproportionately vulnerable to heat," says Andrew Wilson, an environmental scientist at Stanford University and an author of the new analysis. But "sometimes we forget to talk about this population in …

Heatwave hotspots that should not exist are popping up across the world
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Heatwave hotspots that should not exist are popping up across the world

India Today  

The year 2023 has officially been recorded as the hottest year in history, with global temperatures averaging 2.12 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average, surpassing the previous record set in 2016. Amid this unprecedented rise in temperatures, a new study reveals a concerning phenomenon: certain regions across the globe are experiencing extreme heat waves that exceed predictions made by climate …

Europe faces three-fold increase in heat deaths by end of century
4 months ago

Europe faces three-fold increase in heat deaths by end of century

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. Our study looks at more than 1,000 regions across 30 countries, enabling the identification of hotspots where people will …

More than 47,000 people died in Europe last year due to heat, report says
4 months, 1 week ago

More than 47,000 people died in Europe last year due to heat, report says

The Hindu  

More than 47,000 people died in Europe due to scorching temperatures in 2023, with countries in the region’s south hit the hardest, according to a report by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health published on Monday. As climate change continues to increase temperatures, Europeans live in the world’s fastest-warming continent, facing growing health risks stemming from intense heat. The 2023 …

Staggering map shows where Americans face 'dangerously hot' conditions as intense heat wave hits
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Staggering map shows where Americans face 'dangerously hot' conditions as intense heat wave hits

Daily Mail  

Swaths of the US are set to bake in 'dangerously hot' conditions of up to 118 degrees, the National Weather Service has warned. Swathes of the US are set to bake in 'dangerously hot' conditions of up to 118 degrees, the National Weather Service has warned As the week progresses the major risk for the East Coast will dissipate, but …

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

UN asks nations to better prepare, cool the vulnerable as ‘extreme heat epidemic’ breaks records
4 months, 4 weeks ago

UN asks nations to better prepare, cool the vulnerable as ‘extreme heat epidemic’ breaks records

Associated Press  

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 Thursday …

Simple steps to stop people dying from heatwaves
5 months, 1 week ago

Simple steps to stop people dying from heatwaves

Hindustan Times  

WHEN A HEATWAVE in Europe killed more than 70,000 people in 2003, it was seen as a once-in-a-millennium event. A passenger drinking water is silhouetted against the sun on a hot summer day at Jalandhar Cantonment railway station in Jalandhar on June 11, 2024 amid heatwave.. A study in the Lancet concluded that there were 345,000 heat-related deaths worldwide in …

Over 4 per cent newborn deaths linked to climate change in lower, middle income countries: Study
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Over 4 per cent newborn deaths linked to climate change in lower, middle income countries: Study

India TV News  

A recent study examining 29 low- and middle-income countries, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, found that over four per cent of newborn deaths are attributable to temperature extremes influenced by climate change. Between 2001 and 2019, researchers determined that approximately 1.5 per cent of annual newborn deaths in these countries were associated with extreme heat, while nearly three per …

Deadly heatwaves in US, Mexico made more likely by climate change
6 months ago

Deadly heatwaves in US, Mexico made more likely by climate change

Al Jazeera  

Deadly heat that recently blanketed the United States, Mexico and Central America was made 35 times more likely due to global warming, an international network of climate scientists has said. The World Weather Attribution group also said the extreme highs experienced across the region in May and June were four times as likely to occur today as a quarter of …

Extreme heat and weather threaten health at nearly every stage of life, WHO says
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Extreme heat and weather threaten health at nearly every stage of life, WHO says

LA Times  

As the planet continues its streak of record-breaking heat, the World Health Organization has issued urgent new warnings about the ways in which climate change is affecting the most vulnerable members of society at almost every stage of life. In fact, the United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, has found that half of the world’s children are at extremely high …

India’s deadly heat kills over 200 people, including dozens of poll workers as elections wrap up
6 months, 3 weeks ago

India’s deadly heat kills over 200 people, including dozens of poll workers as elections wrap up

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. Read our privacy policy Over 200 people, including dozens of workers on election duty, have died in the last …

How hot is too hot? New weather forecasting tool can help figure that out
8 months ago

How hot is too hot? New weather forecasting tool can help figure that out

NPR  

How hot is too hot? New weather forecasting tool can help figure that out Enlarge this image toggle caption KATHRYN ELSESSER/AFP via Getty Images KATHRYN ELSESSER/AFP via Getty Images This summer, people across the U.S. will have a new way to keep track of dangerous heat headed their way through a new heat warning system called HeatRisk. The tool, developed …

Deadly Sahel heatwave caused by ‘human-induced’ climate change: Study
8 months ago

Deadly Sahel heatwave caused by ‘human-induced’ climate change: Study

Al Jazeera  

Human-caused climate change contributed to an unusually intense and lethal hot spell throughout West Africa’s Sahel region in April, according to a study by World Weather Attribution, an international network of scientists focusing on extreme weather events. The heatwave caused temperatures in Mali and Burkina Faso to climb to more than 45 degrees Celsius between April 1 and April 5, …

Heat waves will intensify, milder ones are also deadly, scientist makes pitch to NDMA
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Heat waves will intensify, milder ones are also deadly, scientist makes pitch to NDMA

Hindustan Times  

As India gears up for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the focus isn't just on electing chosen leaders but also on navigating the severe challenges posed by unprecedented heat and climate anomalies. Cities turn into urban heat islands when buildings, roads, and other infrastructure absorb and re-emit heat, causing cities to be several degrees hotter than surrounding rural areas,” said …

2.2 billion people could face heat waves beyond survival limit: Study
1 year, 2 months ago

2.2 billion people could face heat waves beyond survival limit: Study

Hindustan Times  

India and the Indus Valley will experience the first deadly moist heat waves and, subsequently, substantial increases in accumulated hot hours per year, a new paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has said. The paper led by Penn State College of Health and Human Development and the Purdue College of Sciences and Purdue’s Institute for a …

16 die of heat-related illnesses as scorching weather grips South Korea
1 year, 4 months ago

16 die of heat-related illnesses as scorching weather grips South Korea

India TV News  

At least 16 people have died from heat-related illnesses since May as extreme weather has gripped South Korea, with temperatures rising above 38 degrees Celsius in many parts of the country, CNN reported. According to the disease control and prevention agency, this death count far exceeds that of last year, when six people died from the extreme heat. The situation …

How Extreme Heat Can Affect Your Health
1 year, 5 months ago

How Extreme Heat Can Affect Your Health

Live Mint  

Punishingly high temperatures have been stifling much of the Northern Hemisphere this summer, with record heat reported in swaths of North America and Europe, as well as parts of Africa and Asia. Extreme heat is “what feels unusually hot to you, based on where you live,” said Gregory Wellenius, professor of environmental health at Boston University. Some places are more …

Battling deadly heat: How cities can adapt to rising temperatures
1 year, 5 months ago

Battling deadly heat: How cities can adapt to rising temperatures

Hindustan Times  

Temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere are smashing one record after another, with extreme, deadly heat being reported in countries from the US and China to Japan, Italy and Spain. Limiting warming to the lower Paris Agreement target of 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels would still expose 400 million people to dangerous heat levels by the end of the century, the …

Tourists and residents warned to stay inside as deadly heat hits Europe during peak travel season
1 year, 5 months ago

Tourists and residents warned to stay inside as deadly heat hits Europe during peak travel season

Associated Press  

MILAN — Officials warned residents and tourists packing Mediterranean destinations on Tuesday to stay indoors during the hottest hours as the second heat wave in as many weeks hits the region and Greece, Spain and Switzerland battled wildfires. “We are experiencing hotter and hotter temperatures for longer stretches of time every single summer here in Europe.” The new heat wave …

Heat waves in Europe killed more than 61,600 people last summer, a study estimates
1 year, 5 months ago

Heat waves in Europe killed more than 61,600 people last summer, a study estimates

NPR  

Heat waves in Europe killed more than 61,600 people last summer, a study estimates Enlarge this image toggle caption Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images Heat waves in Europe killed more than 61,000 people — most of them women — last summer, according to an estimate published in the journal Nature on Monday. "The fact that …

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 …

Last summer's deadly heat wave killed 61,000 Europeans: Study
1 year, 5 months ago

Last summer's deadly heat wave killed 61,000 Europeans: Study

Salon  

Last year, Europe had its hottest summer on record. To make their estimates, researchers obtained temperature and mortality data for the period 2015 to 2022 for 823 regions in 35 European countries to estimate heat-related mortality for each region and week of the summer period. "The fact that more than 61,600 people in Europe died of heat stress in the …

As temperatures soared in Europe last year, so did heat-related deaths
1 year, 5 months ago

As temperatures soared in Europe last year, so did heat-related deaths

LA Times  

A member of F Company Scots Guards stands at attention during the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London during a heat wave last summer. Scientists say crushing temperatures that blanketed Europe last summer may have led to more than 61,000 heat-related deaths, highlighting the need for governments to address the health impacts of global warming. But …

Explained: how a temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius impacts billions
1 year, 7 months ago

Explained: how a temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius impacts billions

The Hindu  

Published : May 24, 2023 16:00 IST - 5 MINS READ About two billion people will live in hazardous heat conditions by the end of the century if climate policies continue on their current trajectory, according to new research published in the Nature Sustainability journal. “It invariably distorts value away from human lives and towards centres of wealth,” Ashish Ghadiali, …

How a temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius impacts billions
1 year, 7 months ago

How a temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius impacts billions

Hindustan Times  

About 2 billion people will live in hazardous heat conditions by the end of the century if climate policies continue on their current trajectory, according to new research published in the Nature Sustainability journal. Limiting warming to the lower Paris accord target of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels would still expose 400 million people to dangerous heat levels by …

These ‘most-at risk’ hotspots globally vulnerable to deadly heatwaves in coming future, says study
1 year, 7 months ago

These ‘most-at risk’ hotspots globally vulnerable to deadly heatwaves in coming future, says study

Hindustan Times  

The effects of climate change are already being felt in many parts of the world, with extreme temperatures ranging from intense heatwaves to severe cold spells depending on the season. Statistically, these regions are also more likely to experience “record-breaking extremes than other areas.” Now, a study published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday revealed that specific regions around …

Heat-linked deaths increased by 68% in populations above 65 years: Lancet report
2 years, 1 month ago

Heat-linked deaths increased by 68% in populations above 65 years: Lancet report

The Hindu  

Days of extreme heat are increasing in intensity and frequency due to the effects of climate change, an analysis of data from 103 countries showed in a recent Lancet report. The recently published report called Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: health at the mercy of fossil fuels has stated that due to rapidly increasing temperatures, vulnerable populations such …

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 …

Editorial: Dangerous heat is broiling California. But lawmakers still aren’t doing enough
2 years, 3 months ago

Editorial: Dangerous heat is broiling California. But lawmakers still aren’t doing enough

LA Times  

The worst heat wave of the year is bearing down on California, but efforts by state lawmakers to take coordinated action to protect residents from these climate-fueled disasters have largely fizzled out. Proposed legislation would have, among other things, created a chief heat officer position to coordinate the state’s response to extreme temperatures, required health officials to report heat-related deaths …

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 …

Dangerous heat predicted to hit 3 times more often in future
2 years, 3 months ago

Dangerous heat predicted to hit 3 times more often in future

Associated Press  

What’s considered officially “dangerous heat” in coming decades will likely hit much of the world at least three times more often as climate change worsens, according to a new study. The study said a heat index considered “extremely dangerous” where the feels-like heat index exceeds 124 degrees — now something that rarely happens — will likely strike a tropical belt …

U.K. has warmest-ever night, braces for record-smashing heat
2 years, 5 months ago

U.K. has warmest-ever night, braces for record-smashing heat

The Hindu  

Millions of people in Britain woke from the country's warmest-ever night on July 19 and braced for a day when temperatures are forecast to hit 40° Celsius, as a heat wave scorching Europe wallops a country more used to mild weather and rain. The U.K.'s Met Office weather agency said provisional figures showed the temperature remained above 25° C overnight …

Britain wakes up from warmest-ever night, but no relief in day too
2 years, 5 months ago

Britain wakes up from warmest-ever night, but no relief in day too

India TV News  

Highlights Temperatures remained above 25°C overnight for the first time in the country Weather office predicted temperatures to hit 40°C during the day Almost 600 heat-related deaths were reported in Spain and Portugal, where temperatures reached 47°C Britain woke up from the country’s warmest-ever night on Tuesday and braced for a day when temperatures are forecast to hit 40 degrees …

Heatwave scorches Europe as hundreds evacuated from wildfires
2 years, 5 months ago

Heatwave scorches Europe as hundreds evacuated from wildfires

Al Jazeera  

Officials issue health warnings as Europe braces for a new heatwave in the coming days. Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes as wildfires blistered land in France, Spain and Portugal, with officials issuing health warnings for a new heatwave in the coming days. Portuguese health minister Marta Temido said on Thursday the health system faced a “particularly …

Extreme heat is bad for everyone’s health – and it’s getting worse
2 years, 6 months ago

Extreme heat is bad for everyone’s health – and it’s getting worse

CNN  

CNN — Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital in Rocky Mount, Virginia, is full. “We’ve had people just coming in today after mowing their lawn,” Dr. Stephanie Lareau, an emergency room physician, said Tuesday. “That, to me, is a major problem.” Extreme heat doesn’t kill as many children as elderly people, but these “climate shocks,” as Bernstein calls them, can put added …

Photos: Mothers at the searing edge of climate crisis in Pakistan
2 years, 6 months ago

Photos: Mothers at the searing edge of climate crisis in Pakistan

Al Jazeera  

Heavily pregnant Sonari toils under the burning sun in fields dotted with bright yellow melons in Pakistan’s Jacobabad, which last month became the hottest city on Earth. Women are especially vulnerable to rising temperatures in poor countries on the front lines of climate change because many have little choice but to work through their pregnancies and soon after giving birth, …

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 …

One billion ‘face dangerous heat if warming hits 2C’
3 years, 1 month ago

One billion ‘face dangerous heat if warming hits 2C’

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. Read our privacy policy One billion people could be facing deadly levels of heat stress if global warming reaches …

Children born in 2020 will experience up to 7 times more extreme climate events
3 years, 2 months ago

Children born in 2020 will experience up to 7 times more extreme climate events

NPR  

Children born in 2020 will experience up to 7 times more extreme climate events Enlarge this image toggle caption Noah Berger/AP Noah Berger/AP Children born in 2020 will experience extreme climate events at a rate that is two to seven times higher than people born in 1960, according to a new study in the journal Science. The study analyzed extreme …

Fatalities due to extreme heat on the rise: Studies
3 years, 4 months ago

Fatalities due to extreme heat on the rise: Studies

Hindustan Times  

More than 356,000 people died in 2019 as a result of extreme heat and that number is likely to grow, according to a study published in The Lancet this week. The findings echo another report, a two-part series called “Heat and Health” that was also published in The Lancet this week. Otherwise, deaths will increase further and extreme heat will …

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 …

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 …

Deadly heat waves will become more common in South Asia, say scientists
3 years, 8 months ago

Deadly heat waves will become more common in South Asia, say scientists

Hindustan Times  

Potentially deadly heat waves will likely become more commonplace in South Asian countries, including India, in the coming decades even if global warming is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to a new study. In the study, the researchers used climate simulations and projections of future population growth to estimate the number of people who will experience dangerous levels of …

Deadly heat waves to become more common in South Asia in coming decades, finds study
3 years, 8 months ago

Deadly heat waves to become more common in South Asia in coming decades, finds study

India Today  

Potentially deadly heat waves will likely become more common place in South Asian countries, including India, in the coming decades, even if global warming is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to a new study. In the study, the researchers used climate simulations and projections of future population growth to estimate the number of people who will experience dangerous levels …

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