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HUMAN-DRIVEN climate change has added, on average, 30 extra days of extreme heat for nearly half of the world’s population between May 2024 and May 2025, according to a major new report released Friday.
The study, published ahead of Heat Action Day on 2 June, was conducted by researchers from World Weather Attribution (WWA), Climate Central, and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, and reported by Anadolu Ajansi.
The findings reveal that around four billion people – approximately half of the global population – experienced an additional month of temperatures exceeding 90 per cent of historical readings for their regions.
These extreme conditions were measured against a scenario without human-induced climate change.
Moreover, the researchers found that climate change has at least doubled the number of extreme heat days in 195 countries and territories. Notably, all 67 major heat events recorded globally in the past year were made more severe by anthropogenic climate change.
"This study needs to be taken as another stark warning. Climate change is here, and it kills," said Friederike Otto, co-lead of the WWA and senior lecturer at Imperial College London.
"We know exactly how to stop heat waves from getting worse: restructure our energy systems to be more efficient and based on renewables, not fossil fuels."
Mariam Zachariah, also a researcher at Imperial College London, described the results as "staggering", highlighting the consequences of intensified heat, including health emergencies, fatalities, crop failures, lost productivity, and disruption to transport systems.
Roop Singh, head of Urban and Attribution at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, urged authorities to act swiftly.
"We need better early warning systems, heat action plans, and long-term urban planning to meet the rising challenge," Singh said.
Kristina Dahl, Vice President for Science at Climate Central, noted that heat remains the deadliest manifestation of climate change.
"There is no place on Earth untouched by climate change, and we have the science to quantify how fossil fuel emissions are reshaping our daily temperatures and putting billions at risk," she said.
The report calls on governments to expand heat action planning, improve monitoring and reporting of heat-related impacts, and invest in long-term adaptation strategies. - May 30, 2025