The urgent and urgent need to act in order to be adequately prepared for the coming heat waves call on the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in their first joint report, released just a few weeks before UN conference on climate change, to be held next month in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Entitled “Extreme Heat: Preparing for Future Heatwaves,” the report outlines the effects of the extreme on the planet, recommends solutions, and suggests ways to avoid high costs in the future. In particular, the report notes that the 38 heatwaves that hit our planet between 2010 and 2019 resulted in the death of at least 70,000 people, which is estimated to be much lower than the real one. At the same time, they have significantly disrupted the daily lives of millions of people, causing incalculable material damage and property damage. According to the International Red Cross, the tragic loss of life due to extreme heat is one-sixth of the 410,000 lives lost due to extreme weather events and climate change over the same time period, with thousands of heat-related deaths in Europe in 2003 and Russia cited in 2010 due to high temperatures.

The same report also states that the current trend of climate change and its consequences indicate that in the near future, entire regions of the planet will no longer be habitable due to extreme heat and humidity, and climatic conditions will be such that the adaptation of the human body to it will be impossible for him. “Heatwaves are likely to reach and exceed physical and social limits in the coming decades,” the report says, pointing out that regions such as the Sahel, South Asia and Southwest Asia will bear the brunt of the impacts of climate change. Heat is a “silent killer,” it is emphasized. In addition to loss of life, extreme temperatures will increase the number of people living in extreme poverty by 700% by 2050.

Martin Griffins, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the heat wave is one of the deadliest disasters on record. “Periods of severe drought, like the one that hit Somalia, bringing it to the brink of starvation, combined with extreme heat, lead to many more deaths. These phenomena will multiply in the future. Of course, if climate change continues unchecked, the situation will worsen,” he stressed in an interview with reporters.

The 38 heatwaves that hit our planet between 2010 and 2019 killed at least 70,000 people.

Suggested Solutions

Aid organizations are testing various solutions to mitigate the effects of the heat wave, such as putting green roofs on buildings, building air-conditioned rooms and changing school hours.

The report also calls on governments to set up early warning systems for heatwaves and to train and fund emergency response teams that will provide first aid to areas most in need of extreme heat. They also call for better coordination between humanitarian and development organizations, climatologists and meteorologists.

The United Nations points to another aspect of extreme temperatures, warning that they are particularly harmful to developing countries. In Bangladesh, according to the data collected so far, mortality on hot days has increased by 20% compared to other days of the year. Another consequence of the heat wave is the emergence of “thermal migrants”, that is, people who leave their homes due to extreme temperatures. “It is highly unfair that the most vulnerable countries bear the brunt of the consequences of extreme temperatures in terms of human lives and property damage, when it is clear that they bear no responsibility for climate change,” Griffins said.

“Wealthier countries have the resources to help people adapt to new climates and are willing to do so. Poor countries with no economic opportunity are not responsible for the devastating and excruciating heat,” he concluded.