climate change threatens already today the health of millions of people. This is the result of scientists in a study published in the journal Lancet. In the work of the United Nations, as well as 27 leading research institutions were involved. Accordingly, 18 million more people at risk the heat were in last year’s waves exposed as 2016. In comparison to the year 2000, there were 157 million more.
As the heat threatened to apply to people who are over 65 years of age, live in cities, or Diabetes, a cardiovascular disease or chronic respiratory problems. An effect was the number of climate change vulnerable people particularly hard on the rise: more densely populated areas have experienced a disproportionately large rise in temperature: There were 2017, an average of 0.8 degrees Celsius compared to 1986. In the same period, the global average temperature rose by 0.3 degrees Celsius.
The researchers warn in the study, in addition to the fact that due to the rising temperatures, tropical diseases continue to spread. Such as Malaria and dengue fever. The heat is often associated with air pollution in the cities. 97 percent of the studied cities in countries with low-and middle-income levels do not meet the air quality guidelines of the world health organization (WHO).
More heat-related downtime
The heating also leads to more work hours for the heat to fail. In 2017, there were 153 billion hours worldwide, 62 billion more than in the year 2000. In addition, other economic losses: In the past year, 712 extreme weather events led to a global loss of 326 billion dollars (approximately 288 million Euro), almost three times the amount of 2016.
“today’s changes of heat waves and of working assets to give advance warning of the increased and overwhelming impact on public health, are expected if temperatures continue to rise,” he quoted the trade sachrift Lancet, the researcher Hilary Graham of the University of York.
But there are bright spots, write the authors. So, global coal consumption has fallen since 2013. The performance of the 2017 power plants built on is divided into 157 gigawatts from renewable energy and 70 GW from fossil fuels. “Exciting Trends in key areas of health, including the phase-out of coal, the use of healthier, cleaner mode of transport and the adaptation of the health system, to justify a cautious optimism,” write the researchers.
