Climate Action

Periods of extreme heat are becoming more common. Here's what to know

Forest fire.

Rising temperatures pose major challenges for people, the wider environment and economies. Image: Unsplash/Marcus Kauffman

Simon Torkington
Senior Writer, Forum Stories
  • Global heat records are being broken almost every month, with the 14 months to July 2024 all the hottest months on record.
  • Nature-based solutions can help to provide heat respite for urban populations.
  • The World Economic Forum’s Climate and Health Initiative is uniting stakeholders and policymakers to address the impacts of global warming.

Another month, another series of temperature records broken as climate change appears to accelerate across the world.

July 2024 was the hottest month ever recorded since global records began in 1850, according to the latest Global Climate Report from the US National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). It was also the 14th consecutive month in which the temperature record was broken.

Global land and ocean
July 2024 was the hottest month ever recorded, and the 14th consecutive month of record-breaking heat. Image: National Centers for Environmental Information

“The July global surface temperature was 1.21°C (2.18°F) above the 20th-century average of 15.8°C (60.4°F)”, says the report. It also states that the 14th-month streak of record-breaking temperatures is now the longest, exceeding the period from May 2015 to May 2016.

Discover

What is the World Economic Forum doing to encourage healthy living in cities?

A warming world

Heat waves are becoming commonplace across much of the world. The NCEI says Africa and Europe both had their warmest Julys on record, with temperatures “exceeding the previous record warm July by 0.05°C (0.09°F) and 0.20°C (0.36°F), respectively”. This was despite some countries being hit by unusually cold spells at the beginning of the month.

Asia also had its warmest July ever, with high averages in Pakistan, New Zealand and Australia contributing to the overall record.

Selected significant climate anomalies and events: July 2024
High temperatures are contributing to a series of global weather anomalies. Image: National Centers for Environmental Information

Rising temperatures are contributing to extreme weather events around the world. Hurricane Beryl slammed into Grenada as the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever to form in the Atlantic. Global ocean temperatures, the engine of hurricanes, were at record highs in the 15 months leading up to July 2024, the NCEI says.

In Europe, Mediterranean countries were hit by a series of heatwaves, with hundreds of deaths seen to be heat-related, it adds. In Asia, powerful typhoons led to extensive flooding and landslides, while the Antarctic sea ice extent was the lowest ever recorded for July.

Extreme heat is a major health risk

The health consequences of extreme heat can be catastrophic. Heatwaves in Europe in the summer of 2022 that caused more than 60,000 heat-related deaths. And, in 2021, academics analyzing data from 732 locations in 43 countries concluded that 37% of heat-related deaths between 1991 and 2018 could be attributed to climate change. Heat also amplifies more indirect health risks including an explosion in the numbers of malaria-causing mosquitoes, which breed more prolifically in warmer temperatures.

The World Economic Forum’s Climate and Health Initiative is bringing together a variety of stakeholders and policy-makers to develop solutions to the negative impacts of a warming world.

Adapting to a hotter climate

In the coming decades, rising temperatures will pose challenges for people, the wider environment and economies. According to research published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), more than 3.5 billion people will need to adapt to temperatures above the range deemed comfortable for humans.

Humans have traditionally resided in regions with a mean average temperature of between 11°C-15°C. PNAS says one-third of the global population is projected to experience a mean average temperature greater than 29°C currently found in only 0.8% of the Earth’s land surface.

Adaptation to higher temperatures will be vital, especially in urban areas. A number of strategies can be applied to help urban populations adapt. In response to the risks posed by extreme heat, cities from around the world are demonstrating that there are cost-effective actionable solutions that can be implemented.

  • Miami-Dade County in the US has established an annual “heat season” as a strategy to raise awareness of the threat that extreme heat poses.
  • Athens, Greece, is restoring a 1500-year-old Roman aqueduct for local irrigation, which will make the areas it passes through green and reduce surrounding temperatures.
  • Seville, Spain, is developing the world’s first heatwave naming and categorization system based on forecasted health impacts.
  • Freetown, Sierra Leone, is implementing nature-based solutions through its “Freetown the Tree Town” initiative to plant 1 million trees as a practical step for cooling the city.
Have you read?

The United Nations Environment Programme is a strong advocate for urban trees, citing data that shows they can reduce temperatures by 1°C on hot days. “Urban forests and large parks also provide cooling benefits almost 1km beyond their bounds by lifting warm air above ground level and dispersing cool air. Connecting green spaces creates wind corridors that reduce local temperatures,” it says.

Planning for a hotter future

The Forum’s Global Commission on BiodiverCities by 2030 has joined forces with the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, with the aim of integrating solutions inspired by nature. One outcome is the development of the Heat Action Platform (HAP).

Heat Action Platform: for understanding risks and impacts of extreme heat, assess vulnerabilities and more.
The Heat Action Plan provides a toolkit for nature-based solutions to extreme heat Image: World Economic Forum/Arsht-Rock

The HAP highlights a correlation between heat and biodiversity loss and the requirement for innovation and regulation to break that link, and offers a toolkit to address extreme heat.

Natural solutions will take on increasing importance as they help reduce temperatures without contributing to climate change. Nature in cities helps increase connectivity and resilience of natural habitats and supports biodiversity.

Loading...
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Related topics:
Climate ActionHealth and Healthcare Systems
Share:
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

Could Chinese hot pot fuel your next flight?

Giorgio Parolini and Yiran He

December 6, 2024

Can climate tech save our cities?

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum