Earlier this year, Australia recorded its hottest day ever 50.7C. temperature of on its west coast, while Delhi in India recorded its highest ever temperature of 49C in May, Meanwhile, recent days and weeks have seen mercury-busting readings throughout Europe and North Africa, and large areas of the central United States of america The scorching sun continues to endure.
deadly effects of heat waves
Heat waves can be deadly, especially as the elderly are at risk of heat exhaustion and heatstroke. According to the World Health Organization, between 1998 and 2017 More than 166,000 people died as a result of heat waves. In the UK alone, a huge drop in temperature has been claimed over 2,500 lives in the summer of 2020.
In addition to creating dangerous health conditions, heat waves increase the likelihood of drought and fuel wildfires, which affect both animals and humans, NBC News explains.
Heat waves could affect economies as well as people and wildlife
And beyond the immediate threat to life, extreme temperatures can stifle economies as well.
According to The Conversation, employees are less productive during hot weather, even when they work indoors, while children struggle to learn in the extreme heat, resulting in lower lifetime earnings, which may affect future economic growth. damages. Indeed, a 2018 study found that the economies of US states grow slowly during hot summers. “The data shows that for every 1 degree Fahrenheit the annual increase falls by 0.15 to 0.25 percentage points that a state’s average summer temperature was above normal.”
And it’s not like air conditioning is a simple solution. For some people, the technology is either not practical (outside workers) or economically unattainable. And for those where air conditioning is an option, there are consequences down the line. One study estimates that by 2100, More use of air conditioning could increase residential energy consumption by 83% globally. And as The Conversation points out, “if that energy comes from fossil fuels, it could fuel the heat waves that led to higher demand in the first place”.
Financial cost of heat waves
A closer examination of the impact of very hot weather on economies reveals some very worrying figures. For example, the European Environment Agency (EEA) estimated that, between 1980 and 2000, 32 European countries experienced heat waves. cost up to $71 billion — and that’s before the deadly heat waves of the past two decades are taken into account.
Meanwhile, the International Labor Organization (ILO) predicts that, by 2030, heat waves could reduce the number of hours worked globally by more than 2%. Phys.org says this equates to 80 million full-time jobs and a cost of $2.4 trillion—nearly 10 times the 1995 figure.
what happens next?
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the negative effects of climate change are increasing. very fast Scientists had made the prediction less than a decade ago. The warnings are dire, not least the panel’s finding that a rise in global temperatures of more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels could result in permanent and potentially catastrophic changes to our world.
There are also benefits to the so-called ‘Urban Greenery’Where more trees and other vegetation could help cool cities and towns.