(CTN News) – According to a report released Tuesday, over the last 12 months, the world saw an average of 26 additional days of intense heat, which would not have occurred without climate change.
Heat is the greatest cause of climate-related death, and the report emphasizes the impact of global warming in increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events around the world.
For this study, experts looked at temperatures in each country from 1991 to 2020 to see which were in the top 10%.
Next, they examined the 12 months ending May 15, 2024, to see how many days had temperatures within — or above — the previous range.
Then, using peer-reviewed procedures, they investigated climate change’s impact on these very hot days.
They concluded that “human-caused climate change added — on average, across all places in the world — 26 more days of extreme heat than there would have been without it”.
The Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, the World Weather Attribution scientific network, and Climate Central, a nonprofit research organization, produced the report.
Copernicus, the European Union’s climate monitor, reported that 2023 was the hottest year on record.
Extreme heatwaves have already hit large parts of the world this year, from Mexico to Pakistan.
According to the report, over the last year, 6.3 billion individuals—about 80% of the global population — have endured at least 31 days of excessive heat.
In total, 76 intense heatwaves were reported in 90 nations across all continents except Antarctica.
Five of the most affected countries were in Latin America.
According to the report, without the influence of climate change, Suriname would have had 24 extreme heat days instead of 182, Ecuador 10 instead of 180, Guyana 33 instead of 174, El Salvador 15 instead of 163, and Panama 12 instead of 149.
“(Extreme heat) is known to have killed tens of thousands of people over the last 12 months, but the real number is likely in the hundreds of thousands or even millions,” the Red Cross stated in a statement.
“Flooding and hurricanes make headlines, but the effects of extreme heat are just as deadly,” said Jagan Chapagain, secretary general of the International Federation of the Red Cross.