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2022 Lancet Countdown on Climate Change and Health Released
Vulnerable populations – the elderly and children under 1 year of age - faced 3.7 billion more life-threatening heatwave days in 2021 than annually in 1986-2005, putting them at acute risk of heat stress, heat stroke, and other adverse physical and mental health manifestations. The 2022 Report tracks the relationship between health and climate change across five key domains and 43 indicators, revealing that the world is at a critical juncture.
New Report from UNICEF – Protecting Children from the Escalating Impacts of Heatwaves
Already, around 559 million children are exposed to high heatwave frequency and around 624 million children are exposed to one of three other high heat measures - high heatwave duration, high heatwave severity or extreme high temperatures. The report provides yet more evidence that children are on the front lines of the climate crisis.
The Impact of Heat Waves and Heat Action Plans in South Asia
Heat waves have become a global phenomenon, but in South Asia the situation is worsening due to climate change. Rohit Magotra (GHHIN contributor and SAHHIN lead) describes the silent climate disaster and the importance of heat action plans in India and beyond.
Heatwaves account for some of the deadliest disasters and are intensifying: warn OCHA, IFRC
Released a month ahead of the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27), Extreme Heat: Preparing for the heatwaves of the future says that, with climate change making heatwaves ever more dangerous, aggressive steps must be taken now to avert potentially recurrent heat disasters.
New project to support decision-making to protect people from indoor heat health risks
A new project will synthesize evidence and support decision-making to protect people from overheating in indoor environments.
How India’s lattice buildings cool without air con
For centuries, India’s architecture featured intricate lattice structures. Now, as modern architects search for better ways to keep buildings cool, it’s making a comeback.
California Lessons for Federal & State Workplace Heat Rules
California’s recent record-breaking heat was particularly brutal for the workers who walk for miles, lift heavy loads, sweat in oppressively hot uniforms, and endure bosses who care more for their profits than their people. School cafeteria workers, farmworkers, delivery drivers, and others across the state experienced unhealthy temperatures that left them faint, in the hospital, or worse. These are just a few examples of the kind of preventable harm workers face every year from heat. But they’re particularly infuriating coming from California, which is one of only five states in the country with workplace heat stress protections. What’s going wrong?
Air conditioning has a climate problem. New technology could help
Last week, Californians got a reminder of one of the most vexing paradoxes of global warming. With temperatures well over 110 degrees Fahrenheit in some regions on Tuesday night, hundreds of thousands of the state’s residents received beeping text alerts to notify them that the power grid, straining under the weight of millions of air-conditioning units, was about to collapse. Save power now, the text warned, or face rolling blackouts.
Climate change: More studies needed on possibility of human extinction
Catastrophic climate change outcomes, including human extinction, are not being taken seriously enough by scientists, a new study says.
New podcast series ‘Rethinking Heat in the City’
The Karachi Urban Lab’s new podcast series Rethinking Heat in the City is now out with its first episode – Beyond Heatwaves. In this episode, Dr Elspeth Oppermann emphasises the increasing urgency of discussing urban heat and its differential impact on urban dwellers.
China heatwave: Sichuan residents flee heatwaves and power cuts underground
Residents in China's southwestern provinces are taking creative measures to deal with a record heat wave that has seen temperatures exceed 40C(104F).
Helping cities adapt to higher temperatures
The team behind LIFE ASTI designed a set of urban heat island (UHI) forecasting systems to help three Mediterranean cities cope when the heat is on.
Extreme weather in China highlights climate change impacts and need for early warnings
Extreme weather – record-breaking heatwaves, severe drought, and deadly rainfall – have battered China since June. The summer of extremes – in China as in Europe – has underlined the importance of the WMO community’s commitment to Early Warning and Early Action and reinforced the need for the ongoing campaign to provide Early Warnings for All in the next five years.
New tool for health checks during extreme heat events
New resource from Canada guides non-experts on conducting in-person and remote health checks during extreme heat events. Available in English, French and coming soon in simplified Chinese and Punjabi.
US Inflation Reduction Act supports more equitable access to indoor cooling
The groundbreaking Inflation Reduction Act, which President Biden just signed into law, contains several provisions that will support clean, affordable residential cooling.
Cool Roofs Can Help Offset Rising Energy Demand in India
As climate change intensifies around the globe, Indians are facing life-threatening heat with increasing frequency. Scientists estimate that moderately and extremely hot temperatures caused nearly 47,000 premature deaths in India in 2015.
New checklist guides non-experts through health checks during extreme heat events
Extreme heat events affect different people in different ways, and some people are at higher risk of experiencing heat-related illness if they do not have air conditioning. One way to reduce the public health impacts of extreme heat events is to check in regularly with susceptible people to see how they are coping. However, not everyone knows who is at most risk, how to recognize heat-related illness, or what to do in risky situations. This tool from the NCCEH was designed to help support people doing heat checks by providing all they key information and guidance in a 5-page package. This tool has been co-developed with Dr. Glen Kenny and his heat stress research group at the University of Ottawa.
Extreme Heat Makes It Hard for Kids to Be Active. But Exercise Is Crucial In a Warming World
“Heatwaves create difficulties for breastfeeding” – Tajikistan steps up for babies’ health
A country with hot summers and vast rural areas, Tajikistan has had to fine-tune its approach to promoting breastfeeding and protecting infants’ health. WHO highlights the country’s experience during World Breastfeeding Week 2022 (1–7 August).
Why more heatwaves endanger our health and ability to work
Exposure to high temperatures combined with physical activity can lead to physiological problems that affect the ability to work.
Two Heart Medications Tied to Greater Heart Attack Risk During Very Hot Weather
For people with coronary heart disease, beta-blockers can improve survival and quality of life, while aspirin and other antiplatelet medications can reduce the risk of a heart attack.
BBC Series Explores Life at 50°C
What is life like on the climate change frontline? For the millions of people who have to live with extreme levels of heat day in and day out? Life at 50 Degrees is a new six part BBC series which explores the impact of climate change on people across the globe.
Opinion: Can Humanity Handle the Heat?
Recent record temperatures of more than 40º Celsius in the United Kingdom, and outbreaks of wildfires in several European countries, again highlight the challenges posed by ongoing climate change. The need for robust, scalable systems to counter extreme heat is clear – but developing and implementing them will require political will as well as technological innovation.
How changes in thermal stress will impact lives in the future
Building on historical climate data and future climate projections, the Thermal Stress Story Hub carries users on an interactive journey to understand how thermal stress will evolve in the future and impact lives around the world. Currently under development, the Story Hub consists of interactive maps and dynamic stories to support users to understand how thermal stress will impact their lives. The stories provide data from 1979 to the present day and offer projections up to the year 2100, under the RCP 8.5 global warming scenario.
Series: Work at 45°C in India
SELCO Foundation presents a five part series exploring the linkages between Built Environments and Quality of Livelihoods for marginalised communities and workers in India.
US launches Heat.gov with tools for communities facing extreme heat
The interagency National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) has launched Heat.gov, a new website to provide the public and decision-makers with clear, timely and science-based information to understand and reduce the health risks of extreme heat. Heat.gov will provide a one-stop hub on heat and health for the nation and is a priority of President Biden’s National Climate Task Force and its Interagency Working Group on Extreme Heat.
Living Through India’s Next-Level Heat Wave
In hospitals, in schools, and on the streets, high temperatures have transformed routines and made daylight dangerous.
New Report: A milestone in UK climate history
A new event summary from the Met Office shows that the UK’s recent extreme heat was far more intense and widespread than previous comparable heatwaves. This was the first time 40°C has been recorded in the UK.
UK heatwave piles further pressure on stretched NHS services
NHS leaders have urged the government to provide resources to improve buildings and infrastructure after many trusts were forced to cancel appointments and change their working patterns in response to the heatwave that has gripped the UK this week.
WMO has no immediate plans to name heatwaves
WMO is aware of current interest in developing heatwave ranking and naming systems. As the UN specialized agency responsible for weather, climate and water, the WMO exercises a leadership role in coordinating globally recognized extreme weather naming conventions. The WMO Services Commission is therefore currently considering the advantages and disadvantages of naming heatwaves.
UK heatwave: Extreme heat an increasing threat to health without rapid transition away from fossil fuels
The extreme heat in the UK and across Europe is threatening peoples’ health, warn health organisations today. Heat vulnerability in the UK has been steadily rising, with an ageing population and increase in underlying health conditions, and without adequate measures to adapt heat-related deaths are expected to rise to around 7,000 each year by the 2050s.
Activation of EAP for Heatwaves in southern Kyrgyzstan: 2,100 households to be protected from extreme heat
The Early Action Protocol (EAP) for Heatwaves of the Kyrgyzstan Red Crescent was triggered on 17 July 2022, based on an official bulletin from Kyrgyzhydromet, the local meteorological office. A 7-day forecast (18-24 July 2022) had indicated that temperatures in Osh, Jalal-Abad and Batken provinces in southern Kyrgyzstan would exceed critical thresholds for 3 and more consecutive days, starting from 22 July 2022. Upon declaring that pre-agreed critical thresholds had been reached, IFRC released approximately 200,000 euros from its Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) to the Kyrgyzstan Red Crescent to immediately launch a heat wave awareness-raising campaign and provide life-saving advice to the general public.
WMO-WHO Joint Press Conference on Heatwave in Europe
“In the future, these kind of heatwaves are going to be normal. We will see stronger extremes. We have pumped so much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that the negative trend will continue for decades. We haven’t been able to reduce our emissions globally” said Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General.
Heat-related deaths top 1,100 in Spain, Portugal amid heat wave and wildfires
During the record-breaking heat wave in Western Europe, Spain and Portugal have reported at least 1,169 heat-related deaths, according to each country's ministry of health.
WHO Health and Climate Change Urban Profiles
As part of the WHO monitoring programme on health and climate change, WHO launched the Health and Climate Change Urban Profiles involving six pilot cities.
Heat Action Day Raises Awareness of Heat Risk Across the Globe
Heat Action Day 2022 on June 14th was organized by the IFRC, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and Global Disaster Preparedness Center. Around the world National Societies and other organizations joined to raise awareness of extreme heat! Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies performed coordinated heat wave flash mobs in public spaces to raise awareness of heat risks and share simple ways to #BeatTheHeat. In addition to National Societies, the European Emergency Circle, African News Agency, Beyond Plastic Nigeria, Punjab University, Christian Fellowship and Care Foundation, and Kathmandu University Youth Red Cross Circle organized heat wave flash mobs around the world.
New Heat and Health Research Incubator
Professor Ollie Jay (GHHIN Management Committee member) and Associate Professor Ying Zhang (Deputy Director) from the University of Sydney have launched a multidisciplinary initiative dedicated to developing evidence-based solutions for the health impacts of extreme heat & hot weather, as we learn to adapt to a hotter world.
Strengthening Preparedness for Extreme Heat in India
Nodal officers from all 36 Indian states came together June 9-10 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat State, to share knowledge on heat and public health and learn first hand about Ahmedabad’s pioneering heat action plan. The workshop was organized by Government of India’s National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health, the Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, United Nations Environment Program, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Government of Gujarat, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Good practices for addressing extreme heat at the municipal level were discussed by over 100 local elected representatives, civil society leaders, and local residents at a workshop June 3rd in Jodhpur. The event, hosted by Mahila Housing Trust and the Natural Resources Defense Council focused on identifying local opportunities to strengthen preparedness and response to extreme heat. The city of Jodhpur is working to develop its own heat action plan, cool roof installations, and other adaptation measures that can achieve lifesaving benefits.
What is a Heat Dome? An atmospheric scientist explains the weather phenomenon
A heat dome occurs when a persistent region of high pressure traps heat over an area. The heat dome can stretch over several states and linger for days to weeks, leaving the people, crops and animals below to suffer through stagnant, hot air that can feel like an oven.
New Map Tracks State Heat Protections for Workers
A new map released today and produced by NRDC tracks efforts to establish state-level heat safeguards while workers wait for federal ones.
Red Cross / GHHIN Heat Research Awardees Announced
The Global Disaster Preparedness Center of the American Red Cross, the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, and the Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN), launched this research grant program, which aims to increase knowledge on heatwaves and their impact on people, especially in low and middle-income countries. In total there are 15 awardees from 12 countries.
New US Climate and Health Outlook
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) launched the first installment of a new public information series called the Climate and Health Outlook (Outlook). This new Outlook series connects weather forecasts to health resources to create actionable data that saves lives and reduces illness and health risks associated with climate-related hazards like extreme heat.
New Heat Action Platform
The Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center and the Extreme Heat Resilience Alliance in collaboration with partner has developed the Heat Action Platform, a living, engagement-oriented tool for city officials, practitioners, and financial institutions to find guidance, both existing resources and tailor-made solutions, on reducing the human and economic impacts of extreme heat at the regional or municipal level.
Connecting research teams for Wellcome Trust proposals on biological vulnerability to extreme heat in maternal and child health
India and Pakistan act to save lives from extreme heat
Extreme heat is gripping large parts of India and Pakistan, impacting hundreds of millions of people in one of the most densely populated parts of the world. The national meteorological and hydrological departments in both countries are working closely with health and disaster management agencies to roll out heat health action plans which have been successful in saving lives in the past few years.
Heat wave in India leaves millions struggling to cope
India's weather department has issued a severe heatwave warning as temperatures soar, throwing millions of lives and livelihoods out of gear.
HAP To Quantify Heat Stroke Victims
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has reached out to all public and private sector health facilities in the city to urge them to report on cases and deaths due to heat-related ailments and heat stroke.
Global heat health network announces new Management Committee and Work Plan
The Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN) Management Committee has welcomed seven new expert members from Australia, Canada, France, India, Senegal, Singapore, and the United States. These members will contribute to the Networks efforts to protect populations from the avoidable health risks of extreme heat in our changing climate.
UN Unveils Ambitious Target for Early Warning Systems
Within the next five years, everyone on Earth should be protected by early warning systems against increasingly extreme weather and climate change according to an ambitious new United Nations target announced on World Meteorological Day (March 23rd). UN Secretary-General António Guterres has tasked the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to lead the effort and present an action plan to achieve this goal at the next UN climate conference in Egypt this November
NUS scientists to study construction workers’ risk of heat stress
SINGAPORE - Scientists here will start a new study into how susceptible construction workers are to heat stress at their worksites and dormitories next month.
10 Key Heat Health Messages from the IPCC AR6 Report
The Working Group II contribution to the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report - AR6 Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability - released 28 February 2022, includes important messages about the current and future impacts of extreme heat on human health. In advance of the release of the Global Health Health Information Network’s synthesis report on "Climate Change, Heat, and Human Health" from the AR6, let’s take a quick look at the top 10 AR6 heat health messages.
America’s hottest city is nearly unlivable in summer. Can cooling technologies save it?
A surge in heat-related deaths amid record-breaking summer temperatures offers a “glimpse into the future” and a stark warning that one of America’s largest cities is already unlivable for some, according to its new heat tsar.
What drove Perth’s record-smashing heatwave – and why it’s a taste of things to come
Perth smashed its previous heatwave records last week, after sweltering through six days in a row over 40℃ – and 11 days over 40℃ this summer so far. On top of that, Perth has suffered widespread power outages and a bushfire in the city’s north.
Africa’s First Heat Officer Faces a Daunting Task
In the capital of Sierra Leone, crowding and poverty complicate efforts to protect a city of 1.2 million from the effects of climate change.
Call for Proposals for Research Grants on Extreme Heat
Ten research grants will be awarded for 10,000USD or less and to be completed by the 1st of September 2022 or sooner. It should be noted that the research is expected to be original and any plagiarism will disqualify the applicants from benefiting from the grant at any point in the research process.
Global heating linked to early birth and damage to babies’ health, scientists find
Exclusive: Studies show high temperatures and air pollution during pregnancy can cause lifelong health effects
Peer-reviewed Study Finds Extreme Heat Could Threaten $55.4 Billion Annually in Outdoor Worker Earnings by Midcentury
Nation, States Lack Mandatory Standards to Keep Workers Safe as Extreme Heat Days Expected to Quadruple
UArizona “cool pavement” program aims to beat Tucson’s extreme heat
Starting Wednesday, crews with the City of Tucson will be applying a solar-reflective surface treatment designed to reduce roadway temperatures and neutralize vehicle emissions. It's to help with the effects of urban heat islands.
Addressing Heat and Air Quality in Phoenix
Equitably building cool, healthy and climate-resilient cities.
Winter heatwave breaks records in four US states
Wednesday brings hottest December weather on record for Montana, Wyoming, Washington state and North Dakota
Extreme Heat May Affect Young and Middle-Aged Adults More Than Older Adults
Extreme heat—a leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States—poses an increasing threat to the public, as days of extreme heat are expected to become more frequent, more intense, and longer-lasting due to the continued effects of climate change. Although the adverse health impacts of heat have been well documented among older adults, less is known about the potential impacts of heat on young and middle-aged adults.
What has COP26 achieved for health?
The health community delivers the health argument for climate action at COP26.
Deadly Heat Is Baking Cities. Here’s How to Cool Them Down
Urban areas can be 20 degrees hotter than the surrounding country. But green spaces and reflective pavement can make city life more bearable.
How Scientists Know That Climate Change Juices Heat Waves
Everyone gathered in Glasgow for the COP26 climate conference is aware that the world is heating up and human activity is responsible—but how much of an individual weather event can be attributed to climate change?
UN issues new guidance to address warming in cities
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) today published detailed guidance to help the world’s cities address warming, which is occurring at twice the global average rate in urban areas.
Too hot to handle: can our bodies withstand global heating?
Extreme heat can kill or cause long-term health problems – but for many unendurable temperatures are the new normal
Seventy-Two Hours Under the Heat Dome
Residents and city officials from the region described their experiences during this period of record breaking temperatures that led to the deaths of at least 96 people in Oregon.
How to protect yourself and your loved ones from extreme heat
With climate change triggering increasingly severe heat, Californians will need to prepare themselves for temperature extremes just as they do for earthquakes and other disasters. What do you need to know about heat-related illnesses? How can you identify, treat and prevent them?
Comment: Deploy heat officers, policies and metrics
Cities need heat governance to plan for extreme temperatures and protect those most at risk.
Stories from People with Disabilities During Canada’s Extreme Heatwave
When temperatures in British Columbia, Canada, soared to nearly 50 degrees Celsius/122 degrees Fahrenheit this past summer, people with disabilities and older people were left unprotected. Hundreds of older people died. Heatwaves are expected to become more frequent and more intense because of climate change and authorities have been slow to respond and protect at-risk populations in the province. Human Rights Watch spoke with 17 people who all said that this past summer’s heat affected their physical and mental health – and some feared for their lives. Here are a few of their stories.
Biden administration to write workplace safety rule tackling heat stress
The Biden administration announced Monday that it will begin crafting a standard to protect workers from heat as the federal government wrestles with a growing public health threat exacerbated by climate change.
Workplace Heat Protections Across the Globe
People are facing an increased risk of heat-related illnesses and injuries while on the job as the climate crisis drives temperatures higher and makes heat waves more severe. As these risks increase, so must protections to keep them safe. Solutions that protect workers from heat already exist and several countries have mandatory policies to ensure employers provide workers with heat-relieving measures.
Heat Expert to Lead City’s New Heat Response & Mitigation Office
Phoenix has announced an ASU Environmental Sciences Professor will lead a first of its kind Office of Heat Response and Mitigation. ASU Associate Professor David Hondula will lead the office approved by the Phoenix City Council as part of the 2021-22 budget. The Office of Heat Response & Mitigation will establish a strategic action plan to address the growing hazard of urban heat, which threatens the City's economic viability and health and well-being of vulnerable residents.
Reviewing the summer of extreme weather in 2021
From heatwaves and hurricanes in the US to flooding in Europe and China, the weather over recent months has frequently hit the headlines.
Summer Is Hot, but This Is Abnormal
Scorching weather has far outstripped old expectations, but many Americans still have trouble seeing high temperatures as a distinct hazard.
Biden administration, workers grapple with health threats posed by climate change and heat
The Labor Department is looking at new regulations while workers, particularly in the West, suffer through a brutal summer.
The ‘wet bulb’ warning
Extreme heat is less spectacularly violent than an earthquake or hurricane, but from 2015 to 2019 it killed more people than any other weather hazard. Last month's blistering heat waves in the US Pacific Northwest and Western Canada left hundreds of people dead, as these normally temperate regions grappled with record-breaking temperatures. With just over 100 days to go until the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference, these incidents are a tragic reminder that adapting to an increasingly hostile climate is as urgent as ever.
‘We’re not animals, we’re human beings’: US farm workers labor in deadly heat with few protections
Advocates want Osha to issue federal heat standards, requiring water, shade and rest breaks.
France: Evolving heat waves characteristics challenge heat warning systems and prevention plans
Health effects of heat exposure, whether in terms of morbidity and mortality, are now widely described. In Europe, the 2003 heat wave resulted in 70,000 additional deaths, including 14,800 during the first 15 days of August in France alone..
Work Injuries Tied to Heat Are Vastly Undercounted, Study Finds
New data underline how heat waves can hurt people, especially the poorest workers, in unexpected ways.
Deadly heat: how rising temperatures threaten workers from Nicaragua to Nepal
As scorching temperatures spread, the search for ways to protect against heat stress is becoming ever more urgent.
IFRC warns human-caused climate change made record-breaking heatwave 150 times more likely, putting lives at risk
Recent rocketing temperatures are having a severe impact on millions of people and putting lives at risk, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has warned.
Extreme temperatures kill 5 million people a year with heat-related deaths rising, study finds
More people died of cold than heat in past 20 years but climate change is shifting the balance.
OPINION: Cities must plan for heat resilience now
Shocking heatwaves in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Canada show preparation for climate-driven extreme heat needs work - fast
Iraq’s power cuts show privilege of staying cool in a heatwave
As temperatures rise in Iraq, well-off residents can afford generators that crank into action when the national grid falters but others struggle to cope.
As the Climate Emergency Grows, Farmworkers Lack Protection from Deadly Heat
Two new reports draw attention to the scant laws safeguarding farmworkers’ health, including from worsening extreme heat.
UK Met Office to introduce new extreme heat warning
A key priority of the Met Office is to continuously evolve and improve the quality and delivery of the NSWWS, to meet the needs of the UK. From the 1 June, in consultation with Public Health England (PHE), the Devolved Administrations (and their health agencies) and other key stakeholders, we are introducing an Extreme Heat Warning into the NSWWS. The purpose of the extreme heat warning is to increase awareness of the negative impacts of heat on health, infrastructure, and other services for the public across the UK to enable better preparedness to maintain life, wellbeing, property, and livelihoods.
New legislation in Qatar provides greater protection to workers from heat stress
As temperatures soar across the Gulf region, Qatar has adopted new rules to protect workers from extreme heat, including expansion of prohibited summertime work hours, upper heat level thresholds, annual health checks, mandatory risk assessment. The decision was informed, in part by an assessment led by the FAME Lab from the University of Thessaly.
Miami’s chief heat officer calls for action on ‘silent killer’ in climate crisis
Jane Gilbert urges greater federal and state response to lethal threat posed by rising temperatures
COVID-19: How heat stress affected livelihood, health of Maharashtra’s rural communities
The COVID-19 situation may improve with increased vaccinations, but temperatures will continue to rise for the foreseeable future, putting outdoor workers at risk of heat stress.
Solutions for Extreme Heat as India Battles Covid
India, currently battling a severe second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, is facing multiple climate stressors simultaneously. Most of the country is already facing peak summer heat, and this week, many coastal states are also dealing with the effects of Cyclone Tauktoe. Fueled by climate change, heatwaves and other extreme weather events are longer, more frequent, and more intense. Long-term resilience is critical to build a public health infrastructure that is robust enough to withstand severe short-term crises such as the current pandemic and persistent climate stressors such as extreme heat. Fortunately, many states and cities are taking action.
Extreme Heat Risks May Be Widely Underestimated and Sometimes Left Out of Major Climate Reports
New studies sharpen warnings for unlivable heat in the tropics, and nearly unthinkable extremes in major Northern Hemisphere cities.
A New, Deadly Risk for Cities in Summer: Power Failures During Heat Waves
The growing risk of overlapping heat waves and power failures poses a severe threat that major American cities are not prepared for, new research suggests.
Whitest-ever paint could help cool heating Earth, study shows
New paint reflects 98% of sunlight as well as radiating infrared heat into space, reducing need for air conditioning.
NOAA and communities to map heat inequities in 11 states
Extreme heat kills more Americans than any other weather event, but not everyone’s risk is the same. Within the same city, some neighborhoods can be up to 20°F hotter than others and, due largely to the practice of historic redlining — discriminatory, race-based lending and housing policies in the 1930s — these hot spots are often home to poorer communities of color.
GHHIN steering committee members make Reuters top climate scientist list
Three GHHIN Interim Steering Committee members, Andreas Matzarakis, Kristie Ebi, and Sari Kovats, were highlighted on the Reuters list of 1000 top climate scientists.
Red Cross “Can’t Take the Heat” podcast back for season 2
Listen to episode one of season 2 to hear more about the colliding trends of urbanisation and climate change.
“Climate Adaptive Heat Stress Management in South Asia” session at The Gobeshona 7th International Conference
The Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe) and International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in collaboration with Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN) successfully conducted a Session on “Climate Adaptive Heat Stress Management in South Asia” at The Gobeshona 7th International Conference hosted by International Centre for Climate Change & Development (ICCCAD), on 23rd January 2021.
The session was chaired by Prof Jyoti K Parikh, Executive Director, IRADe and the panelists include Dr. Ajit Tyagi, Former Director General, IMD, Dr. Subhash Chander Bhan, Scientist, IMD, Mr. Rohit Magotra, Deputy Director, IRADe, Dr Mahaveer Golechha, IIPH-Ahmedabad, Dr Vijendra Ingole, Researcher, IS Global, Barcelona and Mr. Adam Abdullah, Researcher, Karachi Urban Lab.
The session discussed the research findings, policy gaps and successful interventions for managing heat stress in South Asia. The session also stressed on the need for research and participation of stakeholders for expediting Heat Stress action in South Asia.
A brief presentation about Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN) and the initiatives taken by GHHIN to facilitate Heat Stress adaptation through research and collaboration globally among heat health practitioners and researchers was also made.
Mr. Rohit Magotra, Deputy Director, IRADe announced formation of South Asian Heat Health information network (SAHHIN), an independent, voluntary, and member-driven forum of scientists, practitioners, and policy makers focused on improving capacity to protect populations from heat stress.
Can SE Asian workers take the heat? Researchers tackle rising temperatures
The effects rising heat has on vulnerable workers in Southeast Asia is the focus of a new study that also aims to find out what employers and authorities can do to reduce the impact of soaring temperatures in cities.
Scientists say some official heatwave advice is based on old wives’ tales
Imagine it's a typical summer's day and you've just heard predictions temperatures are set to top 45 degrees Celsius in some parts of Australia.
This Is How Singapore Keeps Its Cool as the City Heats Up
Building design and technology are becoming increasingly important in the city’s fight to bring temperatures down.
UK 2020 heatwave mortality monitoring shows highest-observed cumulative excess all-cause mortality
Public Health England reports, after controlling for coronavirus, cumulative excess all-cause mortality related to heatwaves in summer 2020 was comparable to impacts during the 2003 pan-European heatwave. How the concurrent risk of COVID-19 and heatwaves may have intersected to amplify these impacts is under investigation.
Healthcare workers get dizzy, headache, thirsty from heat while wearing PPE, S’pore-India study shows
A study of healthcare workers in Singapore and India has found that a majority of those who have to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) experience symptoms of thermal strain, including excessive sweating, exhaustion, and dizziness.
Learn to Map the Urban Heat Island Effect with NASA ARSET
Join NASA ARSET's three-part Satellite Remote Sensing for Urban Heat Islands online training beginning on November 10. This will be ARSET's first training on UHI and is offered in collaboration with the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) and the Global Heat Health Information Network. Sessions include guest speakers from NASA, USGS, NOAA, and Portland State University. There is no cost to participate and no prior experience is required.
Feeling hot, hot, hot: Caribbean breaks heat records in 2020
Excessive heat is becoming the norm in the Caribbean. This is according to the latest data from the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH).
Mask Architects Design Cooling Stations for Abu Dhabi’s Urban Heat Island
Mask Architects has been named one of ten winning teams in the Cool Abu Dhabi a global design competition. Their proposal, The Oasys, is a system where residents of Abu Dhabi can relax and enjoy outdoor spaces without feeling the heat. Selected from more than 1,570 participants across 67 countries, the project aims to tackle the effects of climate change through a localized solution for the urban heat island effect.
Open data on COVID-19 and Heat-Health published
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that poor communities living in high density urban environments across low- and middle-income countries in the Global South would confront the combined effects of COVID-19 and extreme heat. Whilst mitigation measures – such as lock-downs, home quarantines and social distancing – were going to prove difficult for affluent communities who had the means and space to follow them – they looked set to be devastating for communities living in high density informal settlements in urban areas. Mitigation measures looked set to exacerbate already precarious livelihoods by reducing income opportunities and exposing populations to heat stress, by keeping people in poorly insulated and poorly ventilated housing and reducing access to external cooling and hydration infrastructures and services.
US: Heat Emergency Plans Missing Pregnancy, Racial Justice
Many plans by local, state, and federal authorities in the United States to respond to heat extremes and climate change miss the threat that extreme heat poses to pregnancy, particularly for low-income and Black and brown people, Human Rights Watch and partners said today. Authorities should promote racial and reproductive justice and address stark racial disparities in health outcomes.
Video: Homeless LA residents face heat, wildfires, and COVID-19
Residents without housing in Los Angeles now also have to contend with Covid-19, record heat, and smoke-filled air from wildfires.
How heatwave insurance can help cities adapt to climate change
Heatwaves are a challenge faced across the world and only increasing with climate change. One new way to adapt is to mitigate the financial risks they cause by opting for heatwave insurance.
ECMWF moves towards a policy of open data
From today, hundreds of ECMWF forecast charts will become free and accessible to all.
As cities bake on a warming planet, insurers cook up heatwave cover
With extreme heat impacts soaking up a larger share of urban budgets, insurers are seeking ways to reduce financial risks.
Hotter Days Widen Racial Gap in U.S. Schools, Data Shows
Higher temperatures are linked to worse test scores, but only for Black and Hispanic children. The likely culprit: a lack of air-conditioning.
Wildfires tear through drought-racked Paraguay amid record heat
Country faces more than 5,000 fires, with yellow smoke reaching the capital as neighbouring Brazil and Argentina face blazes.
Climate Crisis: Senate Moves to Protect Workers from Heat
Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) just introduced the “Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act of 2020.” The bill, which comes on the heels of record-breaking heat across the Southwest, directs the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop a comprehensive, enforceable standard to protect outdoor and indoor workers from the health harms of extreme heat.
Is extreme heat making India unlivable?
2020 is on track to becoming one of the hottest years ever recorded globally. But nowhere is extreme heat and humidity as much a threat as in India.
‘Design as Preventative Care’ Can Mitigate Heat Island Effects
Extreme heat events are projected to happen more frequently, last longer, and be more severe in coming years. Exceedingly high temperatures that currently occur once every twenty years may occur as often as every two to four years by the turn of the next century. These projections are deadly — over the last three decades, extreme heat has caused more fatalities than any other weather-related event in the United States.
August 2020: The warmest summer on record for the Northern Hemisphere comes to an end
The Northern Hemisphere summer ended the way it began, with blistering heat, as summer temperatures across the northern half of the planet were hottest on record, over 2°F above average, according to the latest monthly summary from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. Across the entire planet, both August and the June–August period were the second hottest on record, continuing a streak of record- or near record-breaking temperatures that has dominated 2020
Climate explained: will the tropics eventually become uninhabitable?
More than 3.3 billion people live in the tropics, representing about 40% of the world’s population. Despite some areas of affluence, such as Singapore, the tropics are also home to about 85% of the world’s poorest people and are therefore particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change.
Western Heat and Wildfires Rage On, with Millions at Risk
The health risks of searing heat and wildfires are growing, and climate change is making things worse.
A Climate Reckoning in Fire-Stricken California
Multiple mega fires burning more than three million acres. Millions of residents smothered in toxic air. Rolling blackouts and triple-digit heat waves. Climate change, in the words of one scientist, is smacking California in the face.
Heat kills. Why don’t we talk about it that way?
Who isn’t mourning the waning weeks of summer? It’s the season most people look forward to all year. Long days on the beach, 9 p.m. sunsets, perfect tomatoes: What more could you want?
Poor Neighborhoods Feel Brunt Of Rising Heat. Cities Are Mapping Them To Bring Relief
NPR. This summer volunteers are fanning out in 13 cities across the U.S. to — quite literally — take the temperature of their neighborhoods. It's part of a project to help protect people as the world warms, and in many places it's highlighting how the poorest areas suffer most from rising urban heat.
Hong Kong’s hot nights and even hotter days bring higher risk of mortality for women and the elderly, new study finds
Consecutive hot nights pose a higher risk to public health than hot days, and bring a 6 per cent higher risk of death for women and the elderly, a study by a Hong Kong university has found.
Halfway to boiling: the city at 50C
It is the temperature at which human cells start to cook, animals suffer and air conditioners overload power grids. Once an urban anomaly, 50C is fast becoming reality.
Last decade was Earth’s hottest on record as climate crisis accelerates
The past decade was the hottest ever recorded globally, with 2019 either the second or third warmest year on record, as the climate crisis accelerated temperatures upwards worldwide, scientists have confirmed.
Here’s What Extreme Heat Looks Like: Profoundly Unequal
Earth is overheating. This year is poised to be one of the hottest ever. Millions are already feeling the pain, but the agony of extreme heat is profoundly unequal across the globe.
Heatwave Harry? As temperatures soar, naming the threat may save lives
Giving heatwaves names and ratings - much like hurricanes - could help people understand the growing threat, heat experts say.
Rising temperatures will cause more deaths than all infectious diseases – study
Poorer, hotter parts of the world will struggle to adapt to unbearable conditions, research finds.
Life and Death in Our Hot Future Will Be Shaped by Today’s Income Inequality
Your future risk of dying from heat will be determined more than anything else by where you live and the local consequences of today’s economic inequality. That’s the conclusion of a major paper released today by the Climate Impact Lab, a research consortium that spent years mapping the relationship between temperature, income, and mortality
As workers sweat, pressure grows on employers to turn down the heat
As global temperatures rise, workers are increasingly struggling to cope with heat on the job and companies are starting to adapt their practices.
Eat or stay cool? Cities test ways to protect the poor from rising heat
From spray parks in water-short Cape Town to heat-reflecting pavements in Tokyo, cities around the world that face worsening heatwaves as the planet warms are rapidly adopting innovations to try to beat increasingly deadly heat.
Heat Health Dialogues
Find recordings from our Heat in the City and Heat in the Workplace dialogues.
Climate change causes health threats in Finland too
The climate change is causing temperatures to rise in Finland more than they are rising on average elsewhere in the world. “Longer heat waves with higher temperatures pose even greater risks on older people and those with chronic conditions,” says Lanki.
Climate change: Summers could become ‘too hot for humans’
Millions of people around the world could be exposed to dangerous levels of heat stress - a dangerous condition which can cause organs to shut down.
How to Find Relief During Summer Heat Waves in the City
Extreme heat is already a public health threat—now, COVID-19 may make that impact worse. Here are some quick tips and long-term strategies to help keep you and your neighbors cool.
Why Africa’s heatwaves are a forgotten impact of climate change
Recent summers have demonstrated dramatically that heatwaves are not only deadly, but they are already being influenced by human-induced climate change.
Better African heatwave data could save lives, shield economies, report says
Heatwaves over the last century in sub-Saharan Africa have not been properly recorded, undermining early warning systems to save lives and prevent economic losses caused by soaring temperatures, a University of Oxford report said on Monday.
Scarcity of shade hurts Indian street vendors’ income, health
As heatwaves become more commonplace, lack of shade in can have devastating effects on those who live and work on city streets
Heat Health Masterclass Series
Rapid, interactive learning of best practices and science for essential applications in heat health, taught by leading experts in the field.
New scientific opinion on ‘Adaptation to climate change-related health effects’ recommends more support for resilience of the health sector
Today, the European Commission’s independent Group of Chief Scientific Advisors (SAM) published their opinion ‘Adaptation to climate change-related health effects’ which contains advice and recommendations on how the EU can help to make our societies, and in particular health sector, better prepared and more resilient with respect to impacts from climate change on health.
New Podcast: Can’t Take the Heat
Host Roop Singh approaches the biggest challenges posed by climate change, like more intense and frequent heatwaves, from a humanitarian perspective. How will the impacts of climate change affect people around the world? What are the big solutions that are in the works? How do we make them happen? The podcast features experts from around the world including leading scientists developing climate solutions, and humanitarian volunteers telling stories of climate change from the frontlines of disasters.
Extreme Heat and COVID-19 Info Series
Information for decision-makers on managing the combined risks of extreme heat and COVID-19.
Umbrellas for social distancing: The Kerala way of fighting COVID-19
In a bid to ensure social distancing, the Thanneermukkom Gram Panchayat in Kerala's Alappuzha district has come up with a unique initiative - every resident will step out with an umbrella.
Summer heat waves could be deadlier because of COVID-19, health officials warn
As summer descends on the U.S., public health experts are warning that the coronavirus could make intense heat waves deadlier, adding to the devastating death toll the country has suffered.
13 Cities Launch Urban Heat Island Community Science Campaigns in 2020 with NOAA
NOAA will support and coordinate 13 community science Urban Heat Island (UHI) mapping field campaigns in cities across the country this summer.
Extreme, high temperatures may double or triple heart-related deaths
People living in inherently hot regions of the world may be at particularly high risk of heat-related cardiovascular death.
New model helps explain seasonal variations in urban heat islands
Rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns linked to climate change may alter the seasonality of urban heat islands in coming decades. A new model simplifies predictions of 'urban heat islands' based on temperature, sunlight and rainfall.
South Asia Heat Health Summit
The South Asia Heat Health Summit took place on 14 February 2020 in Pune, India, in conjunction with the International Conference on Climate Services 6.
Gambia’s labouring farmers show why premature births may boom in a warmer world
Researchers are tracking the risks facing Gambia's pregnant farmers and their babies as climate change brings more heat extremes.
Heatwaves in 2019 led to almost 900 extra deaths in England
Analysis shows impact of climate emergency in year of record temperatures.
Heatwaves and Health in the Sahel
The Ministry of Health of Senegal and The Senegal National Agency of Civil Aviation and Meteorology (ANACIM), conducted a regional training workshop that brought together meteorologists and health professionals from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Senegal to learn how to use heatwave forecasts to prepare a heatwave early warning system and issue outlooks of impacts of extreme heat on human health.
How to keep cool in a blackout during a heatwave
If there is no power for air-conditioning, and tap water is the only resource available, spreading it across the skin is the best way to prevent the body overheating irrespective of the climate, according to a new study from the University of Sydney.
Commit to ambitious climate action, including building resilience for heat health
Many of the same actions that can reduce the carbon emissions that are driving climate change can also bring improve health and wellbeing. We encourage you to act on health at the UNSG 2019 Climate Action Summit by committing to one of the goals of the Social and Political Drivers coalition.
Heat Health Advisory and Readiness Actions for Chile
Responding to increasingly frequent heatwaves is an emerging demand on Chile's health sector. In August 2019, global experts gathered in Santiago to review current mechanisms for predicting and responding to heatwaves, and to identify opportunities to improve forecasting, preparedness and the human impact focus for heat health in the context of the country’s climate change adaptation policy and emergency preparedness and response system.
Call to Action from the Global Heat Health Information Network
The Global Heat Health Information Network Call to Action was launched in May during the UNDRR Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, to highlight critical steps to strengthen heat action.
First Global Forum on Heat and Health held in Hong Kong, China
Extreme heat poses a serious and growing risk in all world regions, but heat-related deaths are largely preventable. The First Global Forum on Heat and Health, held in Hong Kong, China, from 17 - 20 December 2018, addressed this challenge and formally launched the Global Heat Health Information Network.
Beating the Heat: A Sustainable Cooling Handbook for Cities
Beating the Heat: A Sustainable Cooling Handbook for Cities was launched on November 3rd 2021 at COP26 by the Cool Coalition, UNEP, RMI, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), Mission Innovation and Clean Cooling Collaborative.
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