
How Climate Extremes Are Threatening Lives Across the Globe
Extreme heat, floods and wildfires are becoming more deadly across the globe due to the continuous burning of fossil fuels. These extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity as the year goes by and have affected billions of people. Over the past several weeks, heatwaves have struck different parts, causing the deaths of many people.
Global Heat Wave Crisis
Some poll workers, pilgrims, and tourists have been felled by scorching heat, signifying the catastrophic effects of inclement climate globally. Alone this week, ninety-nine million Americans are preparing for a record-high heat wave.
In May and June, over 100 people died as dozens of Mexican cities shattered heat records. India continues to endure an extraordinarily long heat wave, with several election workers among the casualties. Even in Delhi, overnight temperatures hovered in the mid-90s Fahrenheit (mid-30s Celsius). Greece, on the brink of wildfires, has just experienced back-to-back heat waves that killed several tourists. In Mali’s capital, Bamako, hospitals reported over 100 excess deaths in the first four days of April alone, according to The Associated Press.
From May 2023 to May 2024, about 6.3 billion people of four out of five people in the world, had at least a month of above-average temperatures, according to an analysis by Climate Central. Losses to human health, agriculture and the global economy are enormous and continue to rise.
Deadliest Weather Event: Extreme Heat
The WMO revealed that heat was responsible for an estimated 489,000 deaths each year from 2000 to 2019, which makes it the deadliest of all climate-related disasters. Insurance giant Swiss RE said this week that climate change may continue to fuel the market for insurance against strikes and riots. Their report also stated that climate change may lead to food and water scarcity, civil unrest, and migration.
China and the United States: A Shared Threat
Both China and the United States are experiencing scorching summer weather this year. While one-fifth of all Americans were under an ‘extreme-heat alert,’ several regions within northern China recorded record-high temperatures. Earlier in the week, Beijing was under a heat alert with temperatures soaring to 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius).
These two nations also emit the most greenhouse gases, with China currently emitting the highest emissions per year and the United States having emitted the highest cumulative emissions over the past 150 years. These abnormal temperature surges have been widely reported by scientists as being caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
Record-Breaking Global Temperatures
Global temperatures from January to May have been the highest recorded since modern record-keeping began, positioning 2024 to potentially be the hottest year in history, surpassing last year’s record.
Heat-Related Tragedies and Civil Unrest
In Saudi Arabia, a petrostate known for opposing efforts to phase out fossil fuels, 1,000 people died during the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca this week. Similarly, in central Algeria, riots broke out over water shortages in mid-June as rising temperatures and scant rainfall dried up drinking water supplies.
Health Impacts of Extreme Heat
Medical professionals worldwide are increasingly highlighting heat’s severe impact on health. Many healthcare systems lack adequate means to track heat-related illnesses or deaths because heat exacerbates various conditions, such as kidney disease or asthma. As a result, heat-related deaths often go misclassified, emerging instead as excess deaths patterns.
“A transition away from fossil fuels is the best way to prevent deaths and illness from heat in the future—everything else is just a Band-Aid on a bullet wound,” said Renee Salas, an emergency-room doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital and lead author of a special issue of The Lancet on climate change and health.
Beyond Heat: Other Extreme Weather Hazards
High temperatures have also dried soils in northern China, prompting emergency drought responses, including cloud-seeding operations. Meanwhile, heavy rains have inundated southern China, causing landslides and power outages for 100,000 households.
In the United States, New Mexico experienced rapid weather shifts from fires to floods within a week. Roughly 23,000 acres have burned since two fast-moving wildfires ignited on Monday, resulting in at least two deaths. Subsequently, torrential rains and floods swept down burn-scarred hillsides.
The Atlantic Hurricane Season
Florida recently endured three days of tropical rains, causing significant disruption to airports and highways. This week, the Atlantic hurricane season’s first named storm, Alberto, struck Mexico’s northeastern coast. Amid the storm’s fury, three children were killed—one drowned in a river, and two were electrocuted when a cable contacted a pond. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this hurricane season is expected to be unusually severe, partly due to the exceptionally warm ocean temperatures fueled by fossil fuel combustion.
The escalating climate extremes underscore the urgent need for a global transition away from fossil fuels to mitigate the devastating impacts on health, agriculture, and economies worldwide. Comprehensive and immediate action is necessary to address the root causes of these increasingly deadly weather events.