If climate warming becomes more severe — a scenario that is likely under current policies — about 3.3 billion people could face extreme temperatures by the end of the century.
Photo: DW
Research conducted by scientists at the University of Exeter in the UK and Nanjing University in China found that 60 million people were exposed to dangerous levels of heat, characterized by average temperatures of 29 degrees Celsius (84.2 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), extreme heat can lead to a range of illnesses and deaths. These include heatstroke and hyperthermia. Extreme heat also exacerbates chronic health conditions and has indirect impacts on disease transmission, air quality, and critical infrastructure.
The elderly, infants and children, pregnant women, manual and outdoor workers, athletes and the poor are especially vulnerable to high temperatures.
Limiting global warming to below the Paris agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels would still expose 400 million people to dangerous heat by the end of the century, research shows.
People living in India, Sudan and several African countries would be severely affected even by a 1.5 degree Celsius increase. A 2.7 degree Celsius increase would have a huge impact on countries such as Pakistan, Nigeria and most Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam.
Previous studies have shown that cities are particularly vulnerable to such dangerous temperature increases, due to the “heat island effect”. Buildings, roads and infrastructure absorb and radiate more of the sun’s heat, raising temperatures by up to 15 degrees Celsius in some urban areas compared to rural areas, with major impacts on human health.
Mai Anh (according to DW)
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