Extreme heat is having an extreme impact on people and planet by António Guterres United Nations Secretary-General   25 July 2024   This has been a week of unprecedented heat. First, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service declared Sunday July 21st as the hottest day on record. Then on Monday July 22nd, the mercury climbed even higher.   And now we have just received preliminary data indicating that Tuesday July 23rd was in the same range.   In other words, this past Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were the three hottest days on record. But let’s face facts: extreme temperatures are no longer a one day, one week or one month phenomenon.   If there is one thing that unites our divided world, it’s that we’re all increasingly feeling the heat. Earth is becoming hotter and more dangerous for everyone, everywhere.   Billions of people are facing an extreme heat epidemic - wilting under increasingly deadly heatwaves, with temperatures topping 50 degrees Celsius around the world. That’s 122 degrees Fahrenheit. And halfway to boiling.   This year, we’ve seen a deadly heatwave hit the Sahel – with spiking hospitalisations and deaths. And broken temperature records across the United States – reportedly placing 120 million people under heat advisory warnings. Scorching conditions have killed 1,300 pilgrims during Haj; Shut down tourist attractions in Europe’s sweatbox cities; And closed schools across Asia and Africa – impacting more than 80 million children.   Of course, summer heat is as old as the hills. But the World Meteorological Organization, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and others have documented a rapid rise in the scale, intensity, frequency and duration of extreme-heat events.   And it comes against a background of ever-rising temperatures – with June officially the 13th consecutive month to break global temperature records.   Extreme heat is increasingly tearing through economies, widening inequalities, undermining the Sustainable Development Goals and killing people. Heat is estimated to kill almost half a million people a year, that’s about 30 times more than tropical cyclones.   We know what is driving it: fossil fuel-charged, human-induced climate change. And we know it’s going to get worse. Extreme heat is the new abnormal.   But the good news is we can save lives and limit its impact. Today, we are launching a global call to action with four areas of focus.   First, caring for the most vulnerable. Crippling heat is everywhere – but it doesn’t affect everyone equally. Those most at risk when the mercury soars include the urban poor. Pregnant women. People with disabilities. Older people. The very young, the sick, the displaced, and the impoverished – who often live in substandard housing without access to cooling.   For example, heat-related deaths for people over 65 years of age increased around 85 percent in 20 years.   UNICEF tells us that almost 25 per cent of all children today are exposed to frequent heatwaves. By 2050, that could rise to virtually 100 per cent.   And the number of urban poor living in extreme heat could rise 700 per cent. Extreme heat amplifies inequality, inflames food insecurity, and pushes people further into poverty.   We must respond by massively increasing access to low-carbon cooling; expanding passive cooling – such as natural solutions and urban design; and cleaning up cooling technologies while boosting their efficiency.   The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that, together, these measures could protect 3.5 billion people by 2050, while slashing emissions and saving consumers $1 trillion a year.   It’s also vital to boost protection for the most vulnerable – in line with the Early Warning Systems for All initiative. The World Health Organization and World Meteorological Organization estimate that scaling-up heat health-warning systems in 57 countries alone could save almost 100,000 lives a year.   Finance to help safeguard communities from climate chaos is essential. And I urge developed countries to honour their promises, and show how they will close the gaping adaptation finance gap.   Second, we must step up protections for workers. A new report from the International Labour Organization – being released today – warns that over 70 per cent of the global workforce – 2.4 billion people – are now at high risk of extreme heat.   In Asia and the Pacific, three in four workers are now exposed to extreme heat. More than eight out of ten in Arab States, more than nine out of ten in Africa.   Meanwhile, the Europe and Central Asia region has the most rapidly increasing workforce exposure to excessive heat. And the Americas is seeing the most rapidly increasing heat-related occupational injuries.   All of this is having a profound impact on people and the economy. Excessive heat is the cause of almost 23 million workplace injuries worldwide. And as daily temperatures rise above 34°C – or 93.2°F – labour productivity drops by 50%.   Heat stress at work is projected to cost the global economy $2.4 trillion by 2030. Up from $280 billion in the mid-1990s. We need measures to protect workers, grounded in human rights. And we must ensure that laws and regulations reflect the reality of extreme heat today – and are enforced.   Third, we must massively boost the resilience of economies and societies using data and science. Extreme heat impacts almost every area: Infrastructure buckles, crops fail, and pressure piles on water supplies, health systems and electricity grids.   Cities are a particular worry – they are heating up at twice the global average. Countries, cities, and sectors need comprehensive, tailored Heat Action Plans, based on the best science and data. And we need a concerted effort to heatproof economies, critical sectors, and the built environment.   Finally, I want to make one over-arching point. Today, our focus is on the impact of extreme heat. But let’s not forget that there are many other devastating symptoms of the climate crisis: Ever-more fierce hurricanes. Floods. Droughts. Wildfires. Rising sea levels. The list goes on. To tackle all these symptoms, we need to fight the disease.   The disease is the madness of incinerating our only home. The disease is the addiction to fossil fuels. The disease is climate inaction. Leaders across the board must wake up and step up.   That means governments – especially G20 countries – as well as the private sector, cities and regions. They must act as though our future depends on it – because it does.   All countries must deliver by next year nationally determined contributions – or national climate action plans – aligned to limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.   The International Energy Agency has shown that fossil fuel expansion and new coal plants are inconsistent with meeting that limit.   I must call out the flood of fossil fuel expansion we are seeing in some of the world’s wealthiest countries. In signing such a surge of new oil and gas licenses, they are signing away our future.   The leadership of those with the greatest capabilities and capacities is essential. Countries must phase-out fossil fuels – fast and fairly. They must end new coal projects. The G20 must shift fossil fuel subsidies to renewables and support vulnerable countries and communities.   And national climate action plans must show how each country will contribute to the global goals agreed at COP28 to triple the world’s renewables capacity, and end deforestation – by 2030. They must also cut global consumption and production of fossil fuels by thirty percent in the same timeframe.   And we need similar 1.5-aligned transition plans from business, the financial sector, cities and regions.   Climate action also requires finance action. That includes countries coming together for a strong finance outcome from COP29; progress on innovative sources of finance; drastically boosting the lending capacity of multilateral development banks to help developing countries tackle the climate crisis; and wealthier countries making good on all their climate finance commitments.   The message is clear: the heat is on. Extreme heat is having an extreme impact on people and planet. The world must rise to the challenge of rising temperatures.   http://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/press-encounter/2024-07-25/secretary-generals-press-conference-extreme-heat Visit the related web page
	People globally want their governments to take stronger action to tackle the climate crisis by UN Development Programme, University of Oxford   June 2024   The biggest ever public opinion survey on climate change, the Peoples’ Climate Vote 2024, shows 80 percent – or four out of five – people globally want their governments to take stronger action to tackle the climate crisis.   Even more – 86 percent – want to see their countries set aside geopolitical differences and work together on climate change. The scale of consensus is especially striking in the current global context of increased conflict and the rise of nationalism.   Over 73,000 people speaking 87 different languages across 77 countries were asked 15 questions on climate change for the survey, which was conducted for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) with the University of Oxford and GeoPoll. The questions were designed to help understand how people are experiencing the impacts of climate change and how they want world leaders to respond. The 77 countries polled represent 87 percent of the global population.   “The Peoples’ Climate Vote is loud and clear. Global citizens want their leaders to transcend their differences, to act now and to act boldly to fight the climate crisis,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. “The survey results – unprecedented in their coverage – reveal a level of consensus that is truly astonishing. We urge leaders and policymakers to take note, especially as countries develop their next round of climate action pledges – or ‘nationally determined contributions’ under the Paris Agreement. This is an issue that almost everyone, everywhere, can agree on.”   Biggest emitters support stronger climate action   The survey revealed support for stronger climate action in 20 of the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters, with majorities ranging from 66 percent of people in the United States and Russia, to 67 percent in Germany, 73 percent in China, 77 percent in South Africa and India, 85 percent in Brazil, 88 percent in Iran and up to 93 percent in Italy.   In five big emitters (Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the United States), women were more in favour of strengthening their country’s commitments by 10 to 17 percentage points. This gap was biggest in Germany, where women were 17 percentage points more likely than men to want more climate action (75 percent vs. 58 percent.)   Fossil fuel phaseout   Aside from a broad call for bolder climate action, the survey shows support by a global majority of 72 percent in favour of a quick transition away from fossil fuels. This is true for countries among the top 10 biggest producers of oil, coal, or gas. This includes majorities ranging from 89 percent in Nigeria to 54 percent of people in the United States. Only 7 percent of people globally said their country should not transition at all.   People across the world reported that climate change was on their minds. Globally, 56 percent said they were thinking about it regularly, i.e. daily or weekly, including some 63 percent of those in Least Developed Countries (LDCs).   More than half of people globally said they were more worried than last year about climate change (53 percent). The corresponding figure was higher for those in LDCs (59 percent). On average across the nine Small Island Developing States (SIDS) surveyed, as much as 71 percent said they were more worried than last year about climate change. 69 percent of people globally said their big decisions like where to live or work were being impacted by climate change.   Prof. Stephen Fisher, Department of Sociology, University of Oxford, said: “A survey of this size was a huge scientific endeavour. While maintaining rigorous methodology, special efforts were also made to include people from marginalised groups in the poorest parts of the world. This is some of the very highest quality global data on public opinions on climate change available.”   Cassie Flynn, Global Director of Climate Change, UNDP, said: “As country leaders decide on the next round of pledges under the Paris Agreement by 2025, these results are undeniable evidence that people everywhere support bold climate action. The Peoples’ Climate Vote has enlisted the voices of people everywhere – including amongst groups traditionally the most difficult to poll. For example, people in nine of the 77 countries surveyed had never before been polled on climate change. The next two years are crucial for the international community to take actions to ensure that warming stays under 1.5°."   http://peoplesclimate.vote/ http://www.undp.org/publications/peoples-climate-vote-2024 Visit the related web page
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