Climate change exposed 2 billion to more than 30 days of “risky heat” in last three months, India tops the list in South Asia

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Mumbai: One in four people on the planet experienced climate change-driven temperatures every day in June, July, and August because of the burning of fossil fuels, such as oil, gas, and coal, and human activities.

Between June-August, 2 billion people were exposed to more than 30 days of health-threatening temperatures strongly influenced by climate change, according to a report by Climate Central.

Seventy-two countries experienced their hottest summer since at least 1970, significantly driven by climate change. As many as 180 cities in the Northern Hemisphere experienced at least one extreme heatwave from June to August.

These heat waves are, on average, 21 times more likely today because of carbon pollution, mainly caused by burning coal, oil and gas.

“High temperatures that were clearly influenced by climate change jeopardized the health of billions around the world during the past three months,” said Andrew Pershing, vice president for science at Climate Central, said in a press statement on Wednesday.

“No region, country, or city is safe from the deadly threats posed by burning fossil fuels.”

To estimate the risks of heat to human health, researchers looked at days in which temperatures were significantly hotter than the historical record — the “risky heat” days. Temperatures on these days are hotter than 90 per cent of temperatures observed in a local area over the 1991-2020 period — this represents a minimum mortality threshold at which heat-related health risks climb statistically.

According to the findings, over 2 billion people (25 per cent of the global population) experienced 30 or more days of risky heat that was made at least three times more likely by climate change.

More than 4 billion people faced unusual temperatures made at least three times more likely by climate change on August 13, the beak of the global heat.

The average person experienced 17 extra days of “risky heat” around the world because of climate change, representing a potential risk to global health.