The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has issued a call to action to address the severe impacts of rising global temperatures.
The call highlights the urgent need to protect vulnerable populations, safeguard workers, enhance resilience through data and science, and limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5°C.
The escalating climate crisis is causing temperatures to reach dangerous levels worldwide, resulting in heat-related deaths, illnesses, and increased pressure on health systems. According to estimates, heat stress is the leading cause of weather-related deaths, with approximately 489,000 heat-related deaths occurring annually between 2000 and 2019.
Dr Maria Neira, Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health at the World Health Organization (WHO), stated, “Extreme heat is the most visible effect of climate change, everyone is affected. Those with existing health conditions will be made much worse with extreme heat, and it impacts the health of everyone in sometimes surprising ways. Even mental health is affected by heat, making people confused, anxious or even violent.”
Health Risks and Preventative Measures
Prolonged exposure to excessive heat can cause severe health issues, exacerbating conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health disorders, asthma, and kidney disease. It can also increase the risk of accidents, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and the spread of certain infectious diseases. In extreme heat conditions, untreated heat stress can escalate to heat stroke, a potentially fatal medical emergency.
Despite these risks, heat-related illnesses and deaths are preventable. Evidence-based actions and tools can significantly mitigate the health impacts of extreme heat. Effective measures include raising public awareness about how to stay cool, implementing heat-ready social protection and health systems, scaling up heat-health warning systems, and promoting nature-based solutions in urban areas to reduce excess heat.
Potential Life-Saving Initiatives
A WHO report suggests that expanding heat-health warning systems in 57 countries could save nearly 100,000 lives annually. The WHO co-sponsors the Global Heat Health Information Network, which unites UN agencies, governments, experts, and civil society partners to share knowledge and develop solutions for protecting communities from extreme heat.
Paul Nowak, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), supported Guterres’s call for urgent action on workplace temperatures. “Extreme heat is becoming the norm around the world, and we need to strengthen UK laws to stop people from being put at risk. Nobody should be forced to work in unbearable and dangerous conditions,” he said.
The TUC advocates for a maximum indoor workplace temperature of 30 degrees Celsius, or 27 degrees for heavy work, to protect workers from excessive heat.
