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If you spend time in a developing nation during a heat wave, it becomes apparent why poorer countries are most at risk from climate change. Most homes don’t have air conditioning, and even Heat can cause heat stroke in hospitals..
These countries tend to be located in the hottest areas of the globe, and Their riskOf Heat waves that can cause severe heatIs As the planet heats, the temperature of the oceans rises.
In a new studyOur team of Climate Scientists, economists engineersThe study found that the poorest areas of the world will likely be two to five-fold more susceptible to heat waves than those in the wealther countries by the 2060s. By the end of the century, the lowest-income quarter of the global population’s heat exposure will almost match that of the entire rest of the world.
It is vital to be able to adapt to rising heat.
While heat waves are often measured by their intensity and frequency, vulnerability can be more.
A key factor in the amount of harm heat waves cause is people’s capacity to adapt with measures like cooling technology and the power to run it.
We used climate models to project the future and analysed heat waves across the globe over the past 40 year. This was done in order to assess the impact of heat wave exposure. Importantly, we also incorporated estimates of countries’ ability to adapt to rising temperatures and lower their heat exposure risk.
We found that while wealthy countries can buffer their risk by rapidly investing in measures to adapt to climate change, the poorest quarter of the world – areas likely to be slower to adapt – Expect to face an escalating heat threat.
Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, CC BY -ND
Poverty slows down the ability to adapt and deal with rising heat
Heat waves are the most dangerous weather-related and climate-related disasters. Currently, Around 30% of the global population are affluent.Studies show that heat and humidity levels can cause death in certain areas. This risk is increasing.
Adaptation measures like cooling centers, home-cooling technologies, urban planning, and Designs that reduce heat, can lower a population’s heat exposure impact. However, a country’s ability to implement adaptation measures generally depends on its Governance, culture, and knowledge are all important aspects of financial resources.. Everyone is affected by poverty. Many In developing countries, it is difficult to provide basic servicesProtections against escalating disasters in the warmer future are not enough.
The compounding effects Economic, institutional, and political factors cause a lag in low-income countries’ ability to adapt to the changing climate.
According to our estimates, the poorest quarter of humanity is behind the richest by approximately 15 years in adapting for rising temperatures. This is based on the rate of preparation and support for adaptation programs described in the U.N. Environment Program’s Adaptation Gap Report. Although the actual lag may vary due to wealth inequities this estimate gives a broad picture about rising risks.
Globally, heat risk is rising, but it’s more so in poorer regions
We found a 60% increase of heat wave days in 2010s compared to the 1980s. A heat wave is a period of extreme daily temperatures that exceed the 97th percentile in the area for at least three consecutive day.
We also observed that heat wave season lengths were increasing, with more frequent heat waves during the early- and later-seasons. This can increase heat-related deaths.
Our analysis showed that people’s average heat wave exposure in the poorest quarter of the world during the 2010s was more than 40% greater than in the wealthiest quarter – roughly 2.4 billion person-days of heat wave exposure per year compared with 1.7 billion. A person-day is the number people who are exposed to heat waves over the course of a given number of days.
This heat wave risk in poor nations has been often OverlookedThe developed world, in part, because heat deaths aren’t consistently trackedIn many countries.
Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images
By the 2030s, we project that the lowest-income quarter of the world’s population will face 12.3 billion person-days of heat wave exposure, compared with 15.3 billion for the rest of the world combined.
We predict that by the 2090s it will reach 19.8billion person-days of heatwave radiation in the poorest quarter. This quarter is almost as exposed to heat wave as the three quarters with higher incomes.
Climate justice and future needs
The results are more evidence that adaptation is essential to prevent climate-driven human disasters.
The world’s wealthiest nations, which have produced the lion’s share of greenhouse gases driving climate change, Over a decade ago, the promise was made to direct US$100 million annuallyTo help poor countries adapt to climate changes and mitigate their effects by 2020 Some of that money is flowing, but wealthy countries haven’t met the goal yet.
[Over 140,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world. Sign up today.]Studies have shown that the economic losses from climate change in developing countries could reach $1 trillion. Between $290 billion and 580 billion A yearIt will continue to rise through 2030.
Increasing international aid can help poorer nations adapt to the climate change impacts. Innovators and companies can also play a significant role in developing low-cost microgrid electricity to aid poor countries in surviving escalating heat waves.
