Heat waves will be more frequent, intense and deadly It could “cross human, psychological and social boundaries” in the future due to climate change, and even in regions like the Sahel, Horn of Africa or South Asia, he warned on Monday. report UN and Red Cross.
The study, by the United Nations Office of Humanitarian Affairs and the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), warns of multiple heatwaves this year in Europe, South Asia, Australia, North Africa, the United States and China. they are just a warning of what is to come.
“Extreme weather events such as heat waves and flooding hit the most vulnerable and are particularly noticeable in countries where there is hunger, conflict and poverty,” UN humanitarian coordinator Martin Griffiths said in the presentation of the report.
“To avoid the most devastating effects, invest equally in adaptation and mitigationespecially in the countries most at risk,” added IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain.
Work, at current rate, by the end of the century heat waves can cause as many deaths as cancer or infectious diseasesespecially in less developed countries.
warning mechanisms
Recent heatwaves have had very deadly effects, as they did. 70,000 deaths in Europe in 2003 or which caused 55,000 deaths in Russia in 2010.
Giving an example of the need to increase urgent aid to Somalia, which is facing the threat of famine in some regions, Griffiths said, “The humanitarian system is not prepared enough for these waves, it is underfunded.”
According to Chapagain, heatwaves “affect almost all regions”, but are particularly felt in Africa or Latin America, where they “could cause more hunger, disease and conflict” if the international community does not react.
The report proposes different solutions for this, which includes building as a basis. dog days early warning mechanisms o support the preventive programs of local first responders to emergencies.
It also shows that many humanitarian organizations such as the Red Cross have already implemented everyday solutions that can be useful, such as natural thermal insulation systems for homes or adjustments to school hours.
defenseless people
this with children, the elderly, pregnant women and infants are the most vulnerable groups to illness or death from heatwaves.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 820 million children are at high risk of exposure to heat waves.
The report, published a month before Egypt hosts a new UN Climate Change Conference, highlights that limiting average global warming to 1.5 degrees could reduce the number of people exposed to extreme heat waves by 420 million.