Nearly five billion people globally experienced extreme heat due to climate change for nine days in June, including 619 million in India, according to a new analysis by an independent group of US-based scientists.
Climate Central reported that extreme heat in June affected 619 million people in India, 579 million in China, 231 million in Indonesia, 206 million in Nigeria, 176 million in Brazil, 171 million in Bangladesh, 165 million in the US, 152 million in Europe, 123 million in Mexico, 121 million in Ethiopia and 103 million in Egypt.
“More than 60 per cent of the world’s population experienced extreme heat during June 16-24, which is at least three times more likely due to climate change,” it said.
“More than a century of burning coal, oil, and natural gas has given us a dangerous world. The heat waves around the world this summer are unnatural disasters that will become even more common unless carbon pollution stops,” said Andrew Pershing, Climate Central’s chief program officer. Climate Central’s Climate Shift Index (CSI) quantifies the impact of climate change on temperatures around the world. “Between June 16-24, 4.97 billion people experienced extreme heat reaching a CSI level of at least 3, indicating that climate change has made these temperatures at least threefold more likely to occur,” the report says.
India experienced one of its hottest and longest heat waves, with over 40,000 suspected heat stroke cases and over 100 heat-related deaths recorded. The intense heat affected the water supply system and power grid, leaving Delhi facing a severe water crisis.
According to the India Meteorological Department, about 40 per cent of the country recorded twice the number of heatwave days than normal during the April to June period. Temperatures crossed 50 degrees Celsius in some parts of Rajasthan, while night temperatures hovered around 35 degrees Celsius at many places.
In Delhi, where temperatures have been above 40 degrees Celsius for 40 consecutive days since May 13, there have been nearly 60 heat-related deaths this year, according to media reports.
In Saudi Arabia, at least 1,300 people died from heat-related illnesses during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Temperatures were extremely high, with some cities exceeding 50 degrees Celsius. Climate Central’s analysis found that the city of Mecca was at least three times more likely to have warmer temperatures due to climate change every day from May 18, and five times more from May 24. A previous analysis by climate scientists at ClimateMeter, an EU-funded initiative, found that climate change increased the heat wave in Saudi Arabia by 2.5 degrees Celsius.
The last two weeks of June saw two consecutive heatwaves in the US. The first heat wave affected the southern part of the country, Mexico and countries in Central America. In Mexico, at least 125 people died on June 21, with temperatures reaching 52 degrees Celsius in the state of Sonora. A study by the World Weather Attribution Group found that climate change has made extreme heat in May and June 35 times more likely.
Egypt has recorded temperatures close to 50 degrees Celsius in recent days. At least 40 people have died in the southern province of Aswan. The high temperatures have led to a surge in energy consumption across the country, forcing the government to impose daily power cuts to avoid overloading the power grid.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
