Extreme Heat Is Becoming a New Global Threat
World
Dangerous heat is emerging as one of the defining climate threats of the 21st century. A new study shows that extreme temperatures are occurring more frequently, lasting longer, and affecting more people, with about 70% of the world's population now experiencing severe heat stress each year.
The findings, published in Nature Climate Change, are based on data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service dating back to 1950 and the Universal Thermal Climate Index.
Researchers found that maximum daytime temperatures are rising by an average of 0.27°C per decade, while nighttime temperatures increase by 0.32°C. Tropical nights are arriving earlier, lasting longer, and periods of extreme heat are becoming more prolonged.
The most significant changes have been recorded in Europe, North Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula, where the hottest days are now 4–5°C warmer than in the 1970s. Subtropical regions experience around 50 more days of intense heat each year than they did half a century ago.
The study also found that the share of the global population exposed to severe heat stress for at least 90 days a year has increased from 55% in the 1970s to 70% today. Meanwhile, the proportion of people experiencing at least one day of extreme heat stress annually has risen from 16% to 22%, placing an additional one billion people at heightened climate risk.
Researchers found that maximum daytime temperatures are rising by an average of 0.27°C per decade, while nighttime temperatures increase by 0.32°C. Tropical nights are arriving earlier, lasting longer, and periods of extreme heat are becoming more prolonged.
The most significant changes have been recorded in Europe, North Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula, where the hottest days are now 4–5°C warmer than in the 1970s. Subtropical regions experience around 50 more days of intense heat each year than they did half a century ago.
The study also found that the share of the global population exposed to severe heat stress for at least 90 days a year has increased from 55% in the 1970s to 70% today. Meanwhile, the proportion of people experiencing at least one day of extreme heat stress annually has risen from 16% to 22%, placing an additional one billion people at heightened climate risk.
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