{"id":1840,"date":"2025-02-15T12:22:44","date_gmt":"2025-02-15T09:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/?p=1840"},"modified":"2025-11-20T12:38:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T09:38:09","slug":"deadly-heat-global-organizations-sound-alarm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/2025\/02\/15\/deadly-heat-global-organizations-sound-alarm\/","title":{"rendered":"Deadly Heat: Global Organizations Sound Alarm"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over 20 years, heat-related mortality has increased by 30%. In July 2024, more than 120 people died from heatstroke in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Climatologists and doctors have found that heat waves in Europe in 2023 caused the death of over 47.6 thousand residents of all 35 European countries between June and October 2023. The number of heat-related deaths in Europe could triple by the end of the century.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Heat-related deaths have increased by 30% in 20 years.<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0The European region faces a serious threat from extreme heat, which kills more than 175,000 people every year. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, Europe accounted for 36% of the 489,000 heat-related deaths recorded annually between 2000 and 2019. This amounts to an average of 176,040 deaths per year. The WHO emphasizes that temperatures in the region are rising about twice as fast as the global average, which puts Europe in the face of serious climate challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

The WHO European Region comprises 53 countries, including several in Central Asia. The organization notes that the impact of extreme heat is becoming increasingly noticeable for the population. WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said that \u201cpeople are paying the highest price for this climate crisis.\u201d Over the past two decades, heat-related mortality has increased by 30%, he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kluge also noted that extreme temperatures exacerbate chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, respiratory and cerebrovascular diseases, as well as conditions related to mental health and diabetes. Older people are particularly vulnerable to heat, which can put additional strain on pregnant women.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heat stress, which occurs when the human body can no longer maintain its own temperature, is the leading cause of climate-related deaths in the region, according to the WHO. With global warming, heat-related deaths are expected to rise rapidly. The WHO warns that this trend will only intensify in the coming years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kluge added that the region’s “three warmest years on record” have occurred since 2020, while the 10 warmest years have been recorded since 2007. Such data raises serious concerns and calls for urgent action to reduce the impact of heatwaves exacerbated by climate change.<\/span><\/p>\n

On 25 July 2024, UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres stressed that humanity was suffering from an \u201cepidemic of extreme heat.\u201d He called for action to limit the impact of heat waves, which are becoming increasingly intense due to climate change.<\/span><\/p>\n

More than 120 people died from heatstroke in the Tokyo metropolitan area in July 2024,<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Japanese authorities said Tuesday. The country experienced record-breaking temperatures during the month, with heat warnings in effect for much of the time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of the 123 people who died were elderly, according to the Tokyo Medical Examination Bureau. All but two were found dead indoors, and most were not using air conditioners, despite their presence. Japanese health and weather officials have repeatedly advised residents to stay indoors, drink enough fluids to prevent dehydration, and use air conditioners. Older people often believe that air conditioners are harmful to health and avoid using them.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was the highest number of heatstroke deaths in 23 Tokyo wards in July since 127 were reported during a heat wave in 2018, the medical examiner’s office said.<\/span><\/p>\n

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More than 37,000 people were treated for heat stroke in Japan from July 1 to 28, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. The average temperature in July was 2.16 degrees Celsius above the 30-year average, making it the hottest July since the Japan Meteorological Agency began keeping records in 1898.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heatstroke warnings were in effect for most parts of Tokyo and western Japan on Tuesday. Temperatures rose to 34C in central Tokyo, where many people used umbrellas and portable fans.<\/span><\/p>\n

The weather agency has predicted a heatwave in August with temperatures reaching 35\u00b0C and above. Residents have been urged to closely monitor temperature forecasts and heatstroke warnings and take steps to prevent heatstroke.<\/span><\/p>\n

Climatologists and doctors have found that heat waves in Europe in 2023 caused the death of over 47.6 thousand residents of all 35 European countries between June and October 2023.<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0High temperatures had the greatest impact on mortality in Greece, Bulgaria and Italy, TASS reports, citing the press service of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).<\/span><\/p>\n

The mortality rate associated with heat waves was significantly lower in 2023 than in 2022. This is due to the fact that last year there were no major temperature anomalies compared to the summer of 2022, when extremely high temperatures reigned across Europe during the peak of the summer season, from mid-July to mid-August.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the conclusion reached by a group of European climatologists as part of a long-term project aimed at studying how unusually high summer temperatures affect mortality in 35 European countries. To obtain this information, the researchers study statistics on the number of deaths collected in different summers by Eurostat and compare them with how the climate and weather in Europe changed at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2023, the researchers’ calculations show that heat waves claimed a large, but not record, number of European lives – 47.6 thousand people. About 57% of these deaths occurred in two relatively short periods of time in mid-July and late August last year, when short but powerful heat waves swept almost all of Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most of these losses, as noted by climatologists and doctors, occurred in three large countries of the region: Italy (12.7 thousand), Spain (8.3 thousand) and Germany (6.3 thousand), while taking into account differences in population size, the mortality rate from heat waves increased the most in Greece, Bulgaria, Italy and Spain. In all these countries, the excess mortality rate associated with hot weather was approximately 3 times higher than the European average (200-400 deaths per 1 million versus 80 deaths per 1 million).<\/span><\/p>\n

The scientists’ calculations indicate that measures taken by European countries to combat heat waves, including improved air conditioning and changes in health services, have significantly reduced these figures. Without these measures, the excess mortality rate would have been 80% higher, with more than 85,000 people dying from last year’s heat waves, the researchers say. This highlights the need for further development and implementation of such measures.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heat-related deaths in Europe could triple by the end of the century,<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0according to a study published in the Lancet. The projected average heat-related death rate in Europe (by 2100 \u2013 ed.) will be 30 deaths per 100,000 people, which is a three-fold increase compared to the 1991\u20132020 scenario, RIA Novosti reports.<\/span><\/p>\n

Climate change is expected to lead to particularly marked increases in heat-related deaths in southern regions of Europe, according to the study. The areas of future increased risk of heat-related deaths, according to the study, are concentrated in southern latitudes, particularly in regions of Spain, Italy and Greece, but also extend to more northern areas, significantly affecting large parts of France. The study also notes that at 3\u00b0C \u200b\u200bof global warming, the increase in heat-related deaths will significantly outweigh the decrease in cold-related deaths.<\/span><\/p>\n

Climate change is expected to worsen heat-related illness and death, creating unprecedented challenges for public health systems. There are also indirect effects, as extreme heat can lead to crop failures and wildfires, as well as damage to critical infrastructure and the economy.<\/span><\/p>\n

In January 2024, analysts at the World Economic Forum estimated that climate change would cost the world 14.5 million deaths, $12.5 trillion in economic losses, and threaten to spread diseases that are common in hot regions to an additional 500 million people. Regionally, it was reported that the hardest-hit regions would be Asia, where economic losses could amount to $3.5 trillion, Europe ($2.6 trillion), and South America ($2.2 trillion).<\/span><\/p>\n

It was emphasized that an additional risk in the process of climate change will be a catastrophic increase in the number of diseases, primarily vector-borne diseases. According to analysts, higher temperatures will increase the period of activity and habitat of mosquitoes, which will lead to the spread of diseases such as malaria, dengue and Zika to temperate and previously less affected climate zones. As a result, by 2050 an additional 500 million people may be at risk of contracting such infections.<\/span><\/p>\n

Billions of people are facing an \u201cepidemic\u201d of extreme heat and increasingly deadly heatwaves that exceed 50 degrees Celsius,<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres said as he launched his new Call to Action to Combat Extreme Heat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Extreme heat is destroying economies, exacerbating inequality, undermining the Sustainable Development Goals and killing people. The Earth is becoming an increasingly hot and dangerous place to live. The Call to Action is the first of its kind to highlight the multi-sectoral impacts of extreme heat, drawing on the expertise of ten UN agencies.<\/span><\/p>\n

June 2024 marked the 13th consecutive month with record temperatures. The UN chief’s report warned that without urgent action, billions of people will continue to suffer from increasingly severe heat waves.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nUnsplash\/T.Volz Temperatures in July broke new records<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The Secretary-General noted that those most at risk when temperatures rise include pregnant women, people with disabilities and underlying health conditions, the elderly, children, displaced persons and the poor, who often live in substandard housing without air conditioning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heat stress is the leading cause of extreme weather-related deaths. An estimated 489,000 heat-related deaths occurred annually between 2000 and 2019, with 45 percent of these deaths occurring in Asia and 36 percent in Europe. Heat-related deaths among people over 65 increased by about 85 percent between 2000\u201304 and 2018\u201322.<\/span><\/p>\n

Experts from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have concluded that if current conditions continue, by 2050 almost every child in the world under the age of 18 \u2013 2.2 billion children \u2013 will be exposed to heat waves, up from 24 percent of children in 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n

More than 70 percent of the world’s workforce \u2013 2.4 billion people \u2013 are currently at high risk from extreme heat, according to new data from the International Labour Organization (ILO).<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have identified 22.8 million occupational injuries related to extreme heat, nearly 19,000 deaths and more than 26 million cases of kidney disease as a result of prolonged exposure to heat at work,\u201d said ILO expert Balint Nafrady.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heat exposure caused the equivalent of $863 billion in lost productivity and potential income in 2022, while the ILO estimates that when daytime temperatures rise above 34 degrees Celsius, productivity falls by 50 percent. The UN chief calls for urgent and concerted efforts to strengthen international cooperation in four critical areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

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First, all countries and communities must protect the most vulnerable from the impacts of extreme heat, reduce risks, and build resilience. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) estimate that expanding heat warning systems in 57 countries could save nearly 100,000 lives each year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Guterres said there needs to be improved access to low-carbon cooling, more passive cooling, such as through urban design, and greener and more efficient solutions. Together, these measures could protect 3.5 billion people by 2050, while reducing emissions and saving consumers $1 trillion a year, the UN chief said, according to estimates by the UN Environment Programme.<\/span><\/p>\n

Secondly, the Secretary-General called for workers in all sectors to be protected through appropriate occupational safety and health measures based on human rights principles. In particular, urgent action is needed to protect the health and lives of workers in all regions of the world from the risks of extreme heat.<\/span><\/p>\n