The United Nations and the International Red Cross warned today, Monday, that entire regions of the Earth will become uninhabitable in the coming decades due to heatwaves that are becoming more frequent and intense.
Both organizations pointed out in the report that “due to the current climate evolution, heatwaves could reach or even exceed human physiological limits in the coming decades and cause widespread suffering and loss of life, especially in the Horn of Africa. , South Asia and Southwest Asia”.
The report notes that “this year’s heatwaves in countries such as Somalia and Pakistan portend a future in which more deadly, frequent and serious humanitarian emergencies could occur.”
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies released a report ahead of the COP27 climate conference in Egypt.
In the report, both sides called for immediate strict action to avoid potential reoccurring heat-related disasters and mentioned steps that could mitigate the worst effects of the extreme heat.
He also stated in the report: “There are clear limits beyond which people exposed to extreme heat and humidity cannot survive. It is also possible that there will be levels of heat extremes beyond which it will be almost impossible for societies to adapt… expected future death rates from extreme heat are significantly high, shocking – compared to the rates of deaths from all cancers and all infectious diseases by the end of the century – and shockingly unequal.”
“As the climate crisis continues to steadily escalate, extreme weather events such as heat waves and floods are hitting the most vulnerable people the hardest,” said Martin Griffiths, director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“Nowhere will the consequences be as severe as in countries that are primarily affected by hunger, conflict and poverty,” he added.
Jagan Chapagin, Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, called on countries that will gather at COP27 to invest in climate change adaptation and mitigation in the most vulnerable regions.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have proposed five key steps to help combat the effects of extreme heat, including providing early information to help individuals and authorities respond in a timely manner and finding new ways to fund response to local level.
The proposals also include testing by humanitarian organizations of more “heat-tolerant” emergency shelters, as well as calling on communities to change their development plans to account for the potential impacts of extreme heat.
Source: AFP.
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