Climate change caused 26 days of extreme heat in the world in 2023

May 28. () –

Almost the entire world population was affected by 26 days of extreme heat in 2023 that will likely They would not have happened without climate change.

This is confirmed by a report published this Tuesday by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Climate Centre, World Weather Attribution and Climate Centralwhich looks at the role climate change played in increasing the number of extreme heat days around the world over the past twelve months.

Given the celebration on June 2 of the Day of Action against Heatorganized by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Climate Centre, the report draws attention to the threat of extreme heat and what can be done to mitigate it.

EXTREME HEAT WAVE ONGOING IN ASIA

This year it needs more attention than any other. There is an extreme heat wave underway in Asia: in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Malaysia and the Philippines.

In Bangladesh alone, extreme heat has affected 57 of 64 districts, representing more than 120 million people; An extreme temperature of 48.2°C was recorded in Myanmar on April 28, the highest ever recorded in the country; In Nepal, the city of Nepalgunj suffers weeks of temperatures above 40°C.

This year there have also been long-lasting heat waves in large areas of Africa. Extreme heat is known to have killed tens of thousands of people in the last 12 months, but the real figure is probably in the hundreds of thousands or even millions.

Unlike sudden weather disasters, heat waves kill more slowly and less obviously; They are often exacerbators of pre-existing medical conditions.

Heat waves hit the vulnerable hardest: the young, the elderly, the poor and those forced to work outdoors.

According to the report, cities are the places where extreme heat is most dangerous, so that is where efforts should be focused. Locally led planning and adaptation, early warning systems, information campaigns and efforts focused on the most vulnerable are what save lives.

Climate Center director Aditya Bahadur said it’s a statement: “This report provides overwhelming scientific evidence that extreme heat is a deadly manifestation of the climate crisis.

“This wreaks havoc on human health, critical infrastructure, the economy, agriculture and the environment, thereby eroding gains in human development and diminishing well-being, especially for poor and marginalized communities in the Global South.”