Scientists are sounding the alarm: the number of deaths from heat will increase by 370 percent in the future

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Experts point to the health consequences of the climate crisis with drastic figures. Even if the average global temperature increase remained just under two degrees compared to pre-industrial times, heat deaths on Earth would increase by 370 percent by mid-century.

This is what the authors of the “Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change” write. 114 international experts led by Marina Romanello from University College London (Great Britain) published the report in the journal “The Lancet”.

Fewer hours outdoors

Worldwide, people are now exposed to twice as many days of extreme heat as in the period 1986 to 2005. This is especially life-threatening for small children and the elderly. The number of heat-related deaths among people over 65 recently increased by 85 percent compared to the years 1991 to 2000. “Doing nothing will cost us dearly. We cannot afford to be so inactive; the price for this is human lives,” Romanello said in a statement.

Due to the increasing heat, there are fewer and fewer safe hours to work or exercise outside. In addition, the dangers of forest fires and the spread of tropical infectious diseases are increasing. The researchers acknowledge that the number of renewable energy sources is increasing and that further measures are being taken to protect the climate. But: “With emissions of 1,337 tons of carbon dioxide per second, we are not reducing emissions nearly fast enough to keep climate threats at the level our healthcare systems can handle,” Romanello said.

More low-meat diet

Another part of the report is devoted to the link between nutrition, climate change and health. The scientists found that livestock farming is responsible for 57 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture worldwide. Not only do cattle in particular emit large amounts of methane, but animal feed cultivation also takes up large parts of agricultural land.

Furthermore, in 2020, 1.9 million deaths worldwide were linked to excessive consumption of red meat, processed meat and dairy products; in Germany there were more than 87,000 deaths. The researchers therefore advocate a plant-based and low-meat diet.

But the scientists also have positive things to say. Globally, deaths from air pollution have fallen by 15.7 percent since 2005. In addition, approximately 1,500 billion euros were invested in clean energy in 2022, 61 percent more than in fossil energy. (zis/SDA)

Source: Blick