Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 3rd August. World Health Organization new data released on Friday showed that Europe has seen temperatures rise at twice the global average which resulted in 175,000 deaths from heat-related causes every year and warned that figure is set to soar in line with our steadily warming planet.
WHO Regional Director Dr Hans Kluge said that across Europe, over 50 countries “are paying the ultimate price”, said only days since Earth recorded its warmest average temperature yet, at 17.16 degrees Celsius (62.89 Fahrenheit), and as exhausting summer heat waves hit across the northern hemisphere.
Dr Kluge said that the three warmest years on record in Europe have all happened since 2020 and that the 10 hottest years have all been charted since 2007.
In the European region, heat stress is the leading cause of climate-related death in the region,” he said.
“Temperature extremes such as those we’re experiencing at the moment are really exacerbating chronic conditions, including cardiovascular, respiratory and cerebro-vascular diseases, mental health and diabetes-related conditions as well. The extreme heat that we’re experiencing is a particular problem for elderly people, especially those living alone; it can also place an additional burden on pregnant women.”
WHO insisted that more governments need to take action to mitigate heat shocks on vulnerable people.
Over 20 countries in the WHO Europe region have such plans in place which is “not enough to protect all communities”, WHO warned.
UN head Antonio Guterres echoed the Call to Action on Extreme Heat and insisted that Earth “is becoming hotter and more dangerous for everyone, everywhere”.
WJO noted that in some places around the world, the climate crisis is already driving temperatures up to unbearable levels.
It estimated that globally, 489 000 heat-related deaths occurred each year between 2000 and 2019, with the European Region accounting for 36 per cent, or on average more than 175,000 lives every year.
Mr. Guterres’s comments came after three warmest days recorded on Earth in recent history, according to one of the datasets that the UN World Meteorological Organization uses to monitor the climate.
The daily global average temperature reached a new record high of 17.16°C according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service on 22 July 2024.
On 23 July, the preliminary value was 17.15°C. On 21 July, the temperature record was 17.09°C. All three days were warmer than the previous record of 17.08°C, set only last year on 6 July 2023.
WHO #KeepCool campaign offers simple guidance to keep everybody safe.
Dr Kluge insisted that the negative health effects of hot and extreme heat are largely preventable. “If we are better prepared for a hotter region, we will save many lives, both now and in the future,” he said.
The agency guidance on coping with heat waves includes:
Keeping out of the heat: avoid going out and undertaking strenuous activities when the sun’s at it’s hottest. Stay in the shade and do not leave children or animals in parked vehicles. If necessary and possible, spend two to three hours in a cool place, such as a supermarket or cinema.
Trying to keep your home cool: use night air to cool down your home. Reduce the heat load inside your home or hotel room during the day by using blinds or shutters, opening them at night to ventilate your home.
Keeping your body cool and hydrated: use light and loose-fitting clothing and light bed linen, take cool showers or baths, and drink water regularly while avoiding sugary, alcoholic or caffeinated drinks which will leave you dehydrated.
Taking care of yourself and others: check on family, friends, and neighbors, especially the elderly, especially if they are on their own.
UN guidance on what constitutes heat waves is “periods of unusually hot and dry or hot and humid weather that have a subtle onset and cessation, a duration of at least two to three days and a discernible impact on human activities”.
According to the UN World Meteorological agency, the heatwaves differ from warm spells, although they have many similarities.
A warm spell is defined as a persistent period of abnormally warm weather in a location.
It can also be defined in terms of the 90th or 95th percentile of daily maximum temperature. Warm spells can occur at any time of the year, whereas heat waves can only occur in the warm season, WMO concluded.
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