Deaths from extreme heat have increased 167% among elderly people in the last 33 years

The health threats caused by climate change reached record levels. Globally, in 2023, extreme heat-related deaths among people over 65 increased by 167% compared to deaths in 1990 . The data comes from a report released last Tuesday (29) by the renowned scientific magazine The Lancet.

The report “The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change” was produced in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and featured 122 leading experts from 57 academic institutions and United Nations (UN) agencies. The document was published ahead of the 29th UN Conference of the Parties (COP) and provides the most up-to-date assessment of the links between health and climate change.

Heat-related deaths in people over 65 are substantially above expectations, according to the report. It was expected that, between 1990 and 2023, there would be a 65% increase in deaths if temperatures had not changed — that is, accounting only for demographic changes.

From the document’s point of view, this worsens existing inequalities, with the number of days of extreme heat being greater in countries with a low human development index.

“This year’s assessment of imminent health threats caused by climate inaction reveals the most worrying findings so far in our eight years of monitoring,” warned Marina Romanello, Executive Director of Lancet Countdown at University College London, London, in press release.

“Once again, the past year has broken climate change records — with extreme heat waves, deadly weather events and devastating wildfires affecting people around the world. No individual or economy on the planet is immune to the health threats caused by climate change. The relentless expansion of fossil fuels and record greenhouse gas emissions exacerbate these dangerous health impacts and threaten to reverse the limited progress made so far and put a healthy future even further out of reach.”

Globally, people were exposed to 1,512 more hours of high temperatures

The report also showed that in 2023, the global population was exposed to, on average, an all-time high of 1,512 hours of high temperatures representing a moderate risk of heat stress (or thermal stress) when performing outdoor exercise such as walking, cycling — an increase of 27.7% (328 hours) on the annual average from 1990-1999.

According to the survey, rising temperatures have also led to a record 512 billion potential hours of work lost globally in 2023 (a 49% increase above the 1990-1999 average), with potential global income losses equivalent to US$ 835 billion (around R$4.8 trillion) — equivalent to a substantial proportion of GDP in low-income (7.6%) and middle-income (4.4%) countries.

Increase in extreme weather events and related diseases

Regarding extreme weather events, the report showed that over the last decade (2014-2023), 61% of global land area has seen an increase in extreme precipitation events compared to the 1961-1990 average, increasing the risk of flooding. , infectious diseases and water contamination.

Heat waves and droughts have also become more frequent and are responsible for 151 million more people suffering from moderate to severe food insecurity in 124 countries in 2022, compared to annual numbers between 1981 and 2010.

In the face of climate change, the spread of potentially deadly infectious diseases has also increased. According to the report, the risk of dengue transmission by mosquitoes Aedes albopictus increased by 46% and Aedes aegypti by 11% in the last decade (2014-2023) compared to 1951-1960. In 2023, there were a record of more than 5 million cases of dengue fever in more than 80 countries and territories.

“People in all parts of the world are increasingly suffering from the health and financial effects of climate change, and disadvantaged communities in resource-limited nations are often the most affected but receive the fewest financial and technological protections,” says Wenjia Cai, professor and co-chair of the Lancet Countdown Working Group 4 at Tsinghua University in China.

“Adaptation is failing to keep pace with the growing health threats caused by climate change, and with the limits of adaptation approaching and universal health coverage still a dream for more than half the world’s population, urgent financial support is needed to strengthen health systems and better protect people”, he adds.

Deaths related to air pollution have decreased

Despite the record in health risks related to climate change presented in the report, deaths caused by air pollution derived from fossil fuels fell by almost 7%: from 2.25 million in 2016 to 2.09 million in 2021.

According to the report, 59% of this decline is due to efforts to reduce pollution from burning coal, demonstrating the potential health benefits of phasing out coal.

Furthermore, the share of electricity generated by modern, clean renewable energy almost doubled in 2021, reaching 10.5%, compared to 5.5% in 2016.

“Progress towards an equitable and healthy future requires a global transformation of financial systems, shifting resources from the fossil fuel-based economy to a zero-emissions future,” said co-author Anthony Costello, co-chair of the Lancet Countdown.

“For successful reform, people’s health must be put at the forefront of climate change policy to ensure that financing mechanisms protect well-being, reduce health inequalities and maximize health gains, especially for the countries and communities that need it most.”

In the authors’ view, the findings highlighted by the report should force a global transformation of financial systems centered on health, transferring resources from the fossil fuel-based economy to a zero-emissions future. This could deliver health and economic benefits through better energy access and security, cleaner air and water, healthier diets and lifestyles, and more sustainable employment opportunities.

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This content was originally published in Deaths from extreme heat increased 167% among elderly people in the last 33 years on the CNN Brasil website.

Source: CNN Brasil