Quarter of world population faced life-threatening heat between June-August 2024: Report

Regions in the Global South, primarily the Caribbean, eastern Africa, and western Asia faced higher exposure to heat, study finds

Most people around the world are being exposed to rising temperatures with each passing year thanks to global warming. This summer, especially, can possibly be the hottest. But exactly how many people are being exposed to dangerous heat levels?

Roughly two billion people, according to a report by Climate Central. In other words, one in four people, globally, were vulnerable to health-threatening high temperatures for more than 30 days between June and August this year, according to the report. 

It pointed out that the increased temperatures were made three times more likely because of climate change, primarily driven by the combustion of fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal. 

Risky heat

Climate Central, a non-profit climate advocacy group headquartered in New Jersey, USA, used its Climate Shift Index – which calculates climate change’s impact on rising temperatures – for this report. Sifting through temperature data of around 1,200 cities globally, the report looked for “risky heat” days – when temperatures are hotter than 90% of temperatures observed in a local area between 1991-2020.

Their findings included that on average, people around the world experienced 17 more days of perilous heat level, which can translate to a potential global health scare. Another significant finding was narrowing down the day with the highest global heat exposure – August 13, 2024. That day, 50% of the world population – or a staggering 4.1 billion people – were exposed to significantly hot temperatures, made around three times more likely by global warming.

Furthemore, the report indicated that 72 countries experienced their hottest summers since 1970, while 180 cities in the Northern Hemisphere experienced at least one extreme heatwave between June and August. It also pointed out that the occurrence of these heatwaves is 21 times more likely now due to so much carbon being released into the atmosphere.

“High temperatures that were clearly influenced by climate change jeopardised the health of billions around the world during the past three months. No region, country, or city is safe from the deadly threats posed by burning fossil fuels,” said Andrew Pershing, vice-president for science at Climate Central.

Global South affected more

While heat has increased across the globe, the rise hasn’t been equal. People in 80 countries faced a higher exposure on two out of every three days. And more than half of these countries are from the Global South, namely the Caribbean, eastern Africa, and western Asia, concluded the report.

In fact, Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean, and the Caribbean in the Atlantic Ocean, faced 86 and 81 days, respectively, of risky heat in a span 92 days from June to August. The regions most affected after that were the Pacific-bound islands of Melanesia, central America and western Asia.

In Africa and Asia, over 481 million and 333 million people were exposed to at least 60 days of risky temperatures over the three months, the report found.

On a country-specific level, heat records were broken virtually everywhere. Mexico felt its hottest June this year, while Spain experienced its hottest night ever at 39°C in Almeria. Even Barcelona recorded its hottest day ever in July. 

Pavements melted in some countries, while high temperatures meant closing schools and workplaces, the report compiled. In fact, it found that Australia recorded a temperature of 41.6°C in August despite it being winter there, while South Korea had temperatures of above 25°C for 26 days straight. 
Hajj pilgrims headed to Mecca in Saudi Arabia had a really difficult time. According to the report, extreme heat stress resulted in hundreds of deaths, and thousands had to undergo medical treatment.

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