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What is the News?
According to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, more than one-third of the world’s heat-related deaths between 1991 and 2018 are due to global warming.
Key Findings of the study:
- Between 1991 and 2018, more than a third (37%) of all deaths in which heat played a role were due to human-induced global warming,
- Region-Wise: The highest percentage of heat-related deaths due to global warming was in Southern and Western Asia (Iran and Kuwait), south-east Asia (the Philippines and Thailand) and Central and South America.
- Country Wise: The heat-related deaths due to human-induced global warming was between 35 and 39% in the United States, Australia, France, Britain and Spain. This was roughly in line with the average across all countries.
About the Study:
- The study was led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) alongside the University of Bern within the Multi-Country Multi-City(MCC) Collaborative Research Network.
- The researchers analysed the data from 732 locations in 43 countries around the world from 1991-2018. They calculated the contribution of human-induced climate change in increasing mortality risks due to heat.
- However, the study was limited to the warm season, defined as the four warmest consecutive months in each location. This is to focus on heat-related mortality alone.
- Moreover, there were limitations of the study. There is a lack of empirical data from large parts of Africa and South Asia which are known to be especially vulnerable to extreme heat deaths.
- The study has supported the urgent need for more ambitious mitigation and adaptation strategies to minimise public health impacts of climate change.
Source: Down To Earth
