The average person has experienced 26 more days of unusually hot temperatures during the past year. This exposure to more extreme heat is at least twice as likely because of toxic gases in our atmosphere.
What's happening?
A study by Climate Central, a nonprofit news organization that researches and reports on the impacts of a warming world, along with partner organizations found we are subjected to an increasing number of hotter-than-normal days.
During the 12 months they analyzed that ended in May, 6.3 billion people had to endure at least 31 days of extreme heat. Climate Central's definition of extreme heat is "hotter than 90% of temperatures observed in their local area over the 1991-2020 period." This heat was experienced by nearly 78% of the global population. When broken down to the average, people worldwide experienced an average of 26 days of additional extreme heat compared to normal.
"That's a lot of toll that we've imposed on people," Andrew Pershing of Climate Central told the New York Times in a recent article. "It's a lot of toll that we've imposed on nature."
Climate Central's study examined 76 extreme heat waves that impacted 90 countries. They found that "human-caused climate change is boosting dangerous extreme heat for billions and making heat events longer and more likely."
Why is an increase in exposure to days of extreme heat important?
Heat is the leading weather-related cause of death. Record-breaking heat in Mexico in May took the lives of at least 60 people. More than 50 people have died in India from a heat wave that has scorched the country since mid-May, with temperatures in northern India climbing to as hot as 113 degrees. There were nearly 2,300 heat-related deaths in the U.S. last year, which was the most people killed by heat there in 45 years, according to the Associated Press.
Research has shown that an increase in the heat-trapping gases in our atmosphere is expected to make heat waves more common and more intense in the future. Heat waves are already occurring more frequently in major U.S. cities. The number of heat waves has jumped from two per year during the 1960s to six per year during the 2010s and 2020s, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
What's being done about an increase in extreme heat exposure?
HeatRisk is a new tool developed by the National Weather Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that helps assess the risk of heat-related impacts over a 24-hour period. It is one resource for preparing for coming heat waves.
Reducing the amount of toxic gases that pollute our atmosphere and raise the Earth's temperature is the best way to cool our planet and reduce the likelihood of enduring more extreme heat exposure.
There are several steps we can all take to help. Walking is a win-win way to cut carbon pollution and help reduce stress. Walking to where you want to go whenever possible can reduce 1,800 pounds of pollution annually per person. Driving an EV could reduce 100,000 pounds of pollution over a decade if you have to drive.
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