June Heat: More Than 60% of World’s Population Endured Extreme Heat This Month

Over 60% of the world's population experienced intense heat over nine days in mid-June as a result of the climate catastrophe. Experts said this phenomenon could be attributed to the impact of climate change.

Extreme Heat Worldwide

Climate change increased the likelihood of extreme temperatures by at least three times, which affected about 5 billion people who lived in such conditions. The days of June 16-24 were the object of examination in the report by Climate Central.

According to the study, of the total population of at least 1.4 billion people in India, which this summer witnessed its longest ever recorded heatwave, intense heat was experienced by over half these people- at least 619 million individuals.

According to official data, over 40,000 cases of heatstroke and over 100 deaths were attributed to the extreme heatwave, which is probably an underestimate.

China is the second country with the largest population that is affected by the heat. In June, the country reached the highest temperature ever recorded at 50 degrees Celsius. After alerting the public that the demand for air conditioners has increased, Wuhan warned that they may have a deficiency in electricity capacity.

231 million people in Indonesia, 206 million in Nigeria, 176 million in Brazil, 171 million in Bangladesh, 165 million in the US, 152 million in Europe, 123 million in Mexico, 121 million in Ethiopia, and 103 million in Egypt also felt the heat.

Unnatural Disaster

Andrew Pershing, Climate Central's vice president of science, described the heatwaves as an "unnatural disaster." He emphasized that our planet is becoming more and more dangerous as a result of burning coal, oil, and natural gas for more than a century.

At least 1,300 Saudi Arabians lost their lives to heat-related ailments while on the Hajj, with some cities seeing temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius.

Two heat waves hit the US in quick succession, with temperatures in the southern states reaching 52 degrees Celsius.

In New York, there was a rise in heat-related emergency visits of 500-600 percent, and the climate crisis has seen temperatures increase by up to two Celsius degrees.

The Acropolis located in Greece had to shut down because of the temperatures that went as high as 43 degrees Celsius in the Mediterranean, while those of 50 degrees Celsius in Egypt led to frequent power outages needed to manage the upsurge in energy use.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the intense heat broke records in Peru and Paraguay.

Imam Saffet Catovic, head of United Nations (UN) Operations at Justice For All, stated that oil-rich countries must take the UN secretary general's and scientists' calls to action by firmly moving away from and gradually eliminating fossil fuels, as these fuel the climate crisis.

The extreme heat is one of the significant outcomes of the climate crisis, which is caused by the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.

According to the IPCC, the climate change study team for the UN states that extreme heat waves, which used to happen every 50 years, are now taking place with an increase of about five times, and the temperature has also risen by one point five Celsius degrees.

Scientists warn that ongoing use of fossil fuels could result in more regular and severe heat waves, affecting a higher number of people.

According to environmental legal organization ClientEarth's lawyer, Johnny White, the climate issue poses the world's greatest threat to human rights.

Johnny White, environmental legal organization ClientEarth's lawyer, said the climate is now arguably the biggest danger to human rights on that planet.

"Loss of life and harm to people's wellbeing will only increase if systemic emitters don't rapidly rein in the fossil fuels driving dangerous heat spikes and other extreme weather events," he added.