Assessing Heat-Related Health Risk in Ghana Using Bioclimatic Indices
Year: 2025
Published in: Scientific African
HighlightsClimate change is significantly increasing heat exposure across Ghana, particularly in the Sudan Savannah, Guinea Savannah and Forest zones.Temperature (especially the minimum temperature) is rising faster whiles humidity is declining significantly than anticipated especially in the Forest zone.The Sudan Savannah experiences the worst extreme heat conditions followed by Guinea Savannah and the Forest zone, making them the most vulnerable to heat-related health impacts.Seasonally, heat risks are highest from late dry season to early wet season (November-May with peak in March-April), requiring targeted intervention strategies during these months.Daily, heat risk are highest between 11 AM and 5 PM with peak at 12-3pm requiring targeted heat action plan within these times.Effective heat adaptation strategies, such as public awareness campaigns, early warning systems, and cooling infrastructure, are essential to protect at-risk communities. p { color: #000000; line-height: 115%; text-align: left; orphans: 2; widows: 2; margin-bottom: 0.1in; direction: ltr; background: transparent }p.western { font-family: “Liberation Serif”, serif; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.cjk { font-family: “Noto Serif CJK SC”; font-size: 12pt; so-language: zh-CN }p.ctl { font-family: “Lohit Devanagari”; font-size: 12pt; so-language: hi-IN }