July’s Heatwave Highlights Escalating Climate Crisis:WMO 

News Desk

News York: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a UN agency based in Geneva, has reported a new milestone for extreme weather: July 22 was recorded as the hottest day in recent history.

This event highlights the severe impact of greenhouse gas emissions on climate change.

Global average temperatures have reached new monthly records for 13 consecutive months from June 2023 to June 2024. The past year has seen widespread, intense, and prolonged heatwaves affecting every continent. 

At least 10 countries have reported daily temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius in multiple locations, according to WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

These trends underscore the urgency of the Call to Action on Extreme Heat, a new initiative launched by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in July. This initiative aims to enhance international cooperation to tackle the challenges posed by extreme heat.

“Earth is becoming hotter and more dangerous for everyone, everywhere,” emphasized the UN Chief.

The effects of extreme heat are profound. A 1°C increase in annual temperature leads to a 9.1 percent rise in poverty. Additionally, 12 percent of all food produced is lost due to inadequate cooling, and heat stress could result in the loss of working hours equivalent to 80 million full-time jobs by 2030.

The human cost is also severe, with nearly half a million heat-related deaths occurring annually from 2000 to 2019. Extreme heat exacerbates economic disparities, widens inequalities, and hinders progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

“This is becoming too hot to handle,” said Saulo.

The Call to Action focuses on four critical areas: protecting vulnerable populations, safeguarding workers, enhancing the resilience of economies and societies through data and science, and limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C by transitioning away from fossil fuels and increasing investment in renewable energy.

This initiative involves ten specialized UN entities, highlighting the extensive and far-reaching impacts of extreme heat on health, livelihoods, and economies.

The WMO community is committed to responding to the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action by improving heat-health early warning systems and action plans. Recent estimates suggest that scaling up these systems in 57 countries alone could potentially save around 98,000 lives per year.