Extreme Heat In Central And South America

Author: Marisol Yglesias-González, Luciana Blanco, José Luis Díaz, Stella Hartinger, Juliana Helo, Romina Lavarello, Yasna Palmeiro, Ivonne Reyes, Luciana Rojas

Organization: Global Disaster Preparedness Center

Lead Researchers: Marisol Yglesias-González

Year: 2023

The rise in extreme temperatures due to climate change is generating a direct impact on human health, ranging from dehydration, heat cramps, heat strokes, increased mental illnesses, to renal and cardio-pulmonary diseases, and even premature death. Moreover, extreme heat is also generating indirect impacts as it “can alter human behavior, the transmission of diseases, health service delivery, air quality, and critical social infrastructure such as energy, transport, and water” affecting labor capacity, productivity, food, and water supply access, among others. Extreme temperatures exacerbate the population’s vulnerabilities, affecting the elderly, children, people with co-morbidities, and those with low incomes more severely.