Over 100 Deaths In India Linked To Extreme Heat, UN Calls For Immediate Measures

(MENAFN- Live Mint) India reported 40,000 cases of suspected heat strokes and over 100 deaths till mid-June this year, a UN report showed, urging action to curb the effects of extreme heat. This summer, India, especially east and northwest regions, had witnessed temperatures nearing 50°C.

Churu in Rajasthan featured in the list of 10 places globally that have experienced temperatures above 50°C, along with Death Valley in the US and Sanbao in China, said the report, titled United Nations Call to Action on Extreme
Heat.

The report came a day after the Earth Sciences Ministry informed the Lok Sabha that the 15th Finance Commission did not find much merit in the request to expand the scope of disasters eligible for financial assistance and hence, extreme heat is not yet considered a natural disaster or calamity eligible for assistance. In reply to another question, the ministry said heat wave deaths are falling due to better weather prediction by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The report released on Thursday noted that extreme heat caused over 400,000 deaths each year globally between 2000 and 2019, with 45% of them in Asia.“Heat is also the leading cause of all extreme-weather-related deaths,” it said. Heatwaves are not limited to impacting health but have a widespread impact on economic growth, the report said.

Elaborating on the impact of heatwaves on the economy, the report said,“Extreme heat is having devastating impacts on the global economy. When temperatures rise above 24-26°C, labour productivity begins to decline. At 33-34°C, productivity drops by 50%. In 1995, the economic loss due to heat stress at work was $280 billion. That figure is rising as temperatures increase, with expectations that economic losses will reach $2.4 trillion in 2030. This is 2.2% of total working hours worldwide – a loss equivalent to 80 million full-time jobs. Further, heat exposure-related loss in labour capacity resulted in average potential income loss.”

Heat exposure-related loss in labour capacity resulted in average potential income losses equivalent to $863 billion in 2022, the UN report further noted.

New data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) warns that over 70% of the global workforce – 2.4 billion people – are now at high risk of extreme heat, resulting in 22.85 million injuries and 18,970 deaths annually among workers.

“Workers in Africa, the Arab states, and Asia and the Asia-Pacific are most exposed to excessive heat. In these regions, 93%, 84%, and 75% of the workforce are affected, respectively. As daily temperatures rise above 34°C, labour productivity begins to drop by 50%,” the report said.

Urban and rural poor are disproportionately exposed to heat due to low-quality housing and lack of access to cooling. Due to use of specific building materials, informal settlements and camp environments that host refugees and internally displaced people are often significantly hotter than other urban areas in some cities.

Further, heat amplifies the toxicity of air pollution, and compounds health risks. People with pre-existing medical conditions, including persons with disabilities, face added risks. Compared to adults, infants and children are uniquely affected by heat stress, in part because of their developing immune and heat regulation systems as well as their dependence on caregivers, leaving them more vulnerable to its short- and long-term effects due to their physiological characteristics.

UNICEF found that, by 2050, if the current trend continues, almost every child under 18 in the world – nearly 2.2 billion – will be exposed to high heatwave frequency, up from only 24% of children in 2020.

In the report, UN Secretary-General António Guterres outlined four critical areas on addressing extreme heat: caring for the vulnerable; protecting workers; boosting societies' resilience using data and science; and limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C by phasing out fossil fuels and scaling up investment in renewable energy.

Heat-related mortality for people over 65 rose approximately 85% between 2000-2004 and 2018-2022, according to the 2023 heat-related mortality report by Lancet.

"The recent call to action on extreme heat by the United Nations Secretary General shows heat is now an undeniable global crisis. While various countries are experiencing the impacts of extreme heat, the Global South is particularly vulnerable. As highlighted by the IPCC, health-related risks from extreme heat are poised to become the most significant climate threat for South Asian countries in the near future,” said Vishwas Chitale, senior programme lead, the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW).“In India, where extreme heat poses a significant risk, there has been commendable leadership in implementing local heat action plans over the past decade. However, as emphasised by the UN Secretary General, it is now crucial for these plans to be grounded in data and science, continuously updated, be more localised and focus on sector-specific heat risk mitigation.”

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