Extreme Heat Is A Global Issue With Disproportionate Impact – Global Issues
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UNITED NATIONS, Jul 26 (IPS) – “The world must face the challenge of rising temperatures,” said the UN Secretary-General as he launched a call for action on extreme heat and its impact on society and the environment.
On Thursday, Secretary-General António Guterres announced the launch of a joint report based on the knowledge of ten UN agencies, including UNICEF, ILO, OCHA and WHO. The Call for Action on Extreme Heat examines the multifaceted impact of extreme heat on lives and livelihoods, which is further evidence of the climate crisis.
The UN declaration of action targets four key areas in efforts to combat extreme heat: providing care for the most vulnerable, protecting workers, strengthening the resilience of economies and communities through data and science, investing in renewable energy and eliminating fossil fuels, in that order. to reduce the temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius under the Paris Agreement.
June 2024 was the 13th consecutive hottest month on record. Experts have warned that consecutive record-breaking temperatures around the world indicate that temperatures will only rise in the coming years, and some areas will become uninhabitable as people will not be able to withstand the heat. In a report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that Central and South America, southern Europe, Southern and Southeast Asia, and Africa will be most affected by heat-related deaths in 2100.
“Billions of people are facing an extreme heat wave, withering under deadly heat waves, with temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius around the world. That's 122 degrees Fahrenheit. It's almost time to boil,” said Guterres. He emphasized this point by referring to recent international events, such as the heat wave in the Sahel this April and the death of more than 1300 pilgrims in Saudi Arabia during this year's Hajj.
To date, the impact of extreme heat has been felt across livelihoods and the environment. However, it does not affect everyone equally. Many factors, such as gender, age, and pre-existing medical conditions, can determine the effect. For this reason, those who are most vulnerable to the effects of high temperatures include the elderly, disabled people, pregnant women and children.
The quality of housing is also a factor, and as a result, the report continues to identify poor people as being most vulnerable, or rather, people living in poor housing that lacks proper cooling or ventilation. In addition, urban areas are much warmer compared to rural areas. Cities are burdened by their built environment, density, concentrated energy consumption and heat absorption from concrete and other building materials. This is known as the urban heat island effect.
The working population is equally exposed to overheating. A new ILO report notes that at least 70 percent of the world's working population, or 2.41 billion workers, are at risk of exposure to high temperatures, causing 22.85 million injuries, and at least 18,970 deaths annually. Workers in Africa, the Arab world, and Asia and the Asia-Pacific are among the most affected at 93, 84 and 75 percent respectively. Rising temperatures also affected productivity, which dropped by 50 percent. The report recommends measures to protect the health of all workers in a rights-based manner, as well as reporting and monitoring measures for heat stress events.
Heat stress has been identified as the leading cause of climate-related mortality. Although excessive exposure to heat can cause heatstroke, a life-threatening medical emergency, continued exposure can increase the likelihood and risk of other medical conditions, such as kidney problems, cardiovascular health, diabetes, mental health, and transmission of infectious diseases. Health problems brought about by exposure to extreme heat can put additional pressure on health services, yet the most exposed regions do not have enough resources to deal with them in their health facilities.
Extreme heat is felt in many additional fields. The use of air conditioners and other cooling systems accounts for 20 percent of the world's electricity consumption, at a time when more than half of electricity is still produced by burning fossil fuels. In the food and agriculture sector, yields are down 45 percent by 2022 due to extreme temperatures and conditions such as drought and wildfires.
“Extreme heat increases inequality, exacerbates food insecurity, and pushes people further into poverty,” Guterres said.
The UN declaration of action targets four key areas in efforts to combat extreme heat: providing care for the most vulnerable, protecting workers, strengthening the resilience of economies and communities through data and science, investing in renewable energy and eliminating fossil fuels, in that order. to reduce the temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius under the Paris Agreement.
Guterres urged the international community, public and private organizations and governments to make strong efforts to deal with this issue. Guterres reiterated his demand for the elimination of fossil fuels as an energy source, singling out G20 countries for their renewed oil and gas licensing agreements.
“The problem is that climate change is going faster than all the measures that have been put in place to combat it. That's why it's important to understand that we need a big acceleration of all climate measures,” said Guterres.
The report notes that there are ways to reduce the risk of extreme heat. Investing in sensible occupational hazards and safety could save up to USD 361 billion. Focused actions to reduce energy demand in the global cooling sector could save up to USD 1 trillion and the energy sector up to USD 5 trillion by 2050.
In recent years, climate change has brought unusual temperatures and weather patterns that even developed countries have struggled to cope with without a significant drop in their population. Since the heat wave has not spared even the West, Guterres hopes that this may spur them to urgent, swift action.
“Now the heat is being felt by those who have the power to make decisions.”
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
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