Climate Change Causes Extra Month of Extreme Heat for Billions, Report Reveals

Global Impact of Extreme Heat

• 🌍 A new report indicates that nearly half of the world's population experienced an additional month of extreme heat between May 2024 and May 2025.
• 📈 Climate change has doubled the amount of extreme heat days in 195 countries or territories.
• ⚠️ All 67 extreme heat events studied were directly attributed to climate change.

Hardest Hit Regions

• 🏝️ Countries near the equator, including the Caribbean, Central America, and Northern Africa, were the hardest hit by increased extreme heat days.
• 🌐 However, the report emphasizes that no corner of the globe has been untouched by the amplification of extreme heat risks.

Extreme Heat in the United States

• 📊 In the US, approximately 46 days exceeded the 90th percentile for temperature over the last 12 months.
• 🌡️ Of these, 24 days were found to be directly added by climate change.
• 🏜️ The southwestern US, particularly along the border with Mexico, experienced more added extreme heat days exceeding this threshold.

Health Risks and Vulnerable Populations

• ⚡ Extreme heat poses significant health risks, ranging from minor symptoms like dizziness and exhaustion to fatal heat stroke.
• 👶 Vulnerable groups include children, the elderly, and individuals with pre-existing health conditions like cardiovascular or respiratory diseases.

Report's Purpose and Recommendations

• 📢 The study was conducted in advance of Global Heat Action Day to highlight extreme heat as the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the US.
• 💡 The report aims to draw attention to how climate change is amplifying these risks and the urgent need to address them.