Key points
- Experts assessed influence of climate change on dangerous heat waves
- The period of analysis spanned Earth’s hottest year
- All 67 extreme heat events were found to be influenced by climate change: report
ISLAMABAD: A new study revealed on Friday that half the global population endured an additional month of extreme heat over the past year because of manmade climate change.
Ahead of Heat Action Day, the new report from scientists at World Weather Attribution, the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, and Climate Central assessed the influence of human-caused climate change on dangerous heat waves from May 1, 2024, to May 1, 2025.
The period of analysis spanned Earth’s hottest year and hottest January ever recorded.
The report found that human-caused climate change is boosting dangerous extreme heat for billions of people, and making heat events longer and more likely.
Key findings
Over the 12-month period, 4 billion people — about 49 per cent of the global population — experienced at least 30 additional days of extreme heat (hotter than 90pc of temperatures observed in their local area over the 1991-2020 period) due to human-caused climate change, the report highlighted.
In 195 countries/territories, climate change at least doubled the number of extreme heat days, as compared to a world without climate change.
“All 67 extreme heat events — identified as significant based on record-setting temperatures or major impacts to people or property — were found to be influenced by climate change.”
Tracking and reporting
The report also demonstrated the crucial role of tracking and reporting on extreme heat impacts and offered actionable solutions to heat risk.
“This is not a surprise or an accident — the causes are well known and the impacts are devastating. The continued burning of coal, oil, and gas has released and accumulated enough greenhouse gases to warm the planet by 1.3°C (over a 5-year average) — and by more than 1.5°C in 2024 alone — compared to pre-industrial times.”
Human-induced climate change
In 2024, as in recent years, human-induced climate change drove more intense and frequent extreme weather events, with heat waves clearly and dramatically affected.
One illustration of this is the March 2025 heat wave in Central Asia, which was up to 10°C warmer than it would have been without human-induced climate change, the report revealed.
