UN Secretary-General Guterres Stresses the Dangers of Extreme Heat
Stresssing the dangers of extreme heat amid a rise in global temperatures, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a call to action to shore up protections for billions around the world who are impacted by one of climate change’s most tangible effects.
“Billions of people are facing an extreme heat epidemic – wilting under increasingly deadly heatwaves, with temperatures topping 50 degrees Celsius around the world. That is 122 degrees Fahrenheit – halfway to boiling,” Guterres said during a press conference at New York’s UN Headquarters.
He added:
“The message is clear: the heat is on. Extreme heat is having an extreme impact on people and planet. The world must rise to the challenge of rising temperatures.”
Research indicates that since 1979, heat waves have moved across the world at a slower pace, contributing to prolonged periods of extreme heat and higher temperatures over larger geographical areas. A study published in Science Advances earlier this year found that global heat waves are moving 20% percent more slowly than they did 40 years ago, increasing their frequency. Heat waves have also grown considerably more intense, with temperatures consistently breaking records. The area covered by heat domes—which occur when high pressure systems in the atmosphere trap hot air—have expanded considerably.
According to UN estimates, deaths related to extreme heat for those over 65 have increased about 85% over the last two decades. About a quarter of children worldwide are exposed to frequent heat waves and that number is predicted to increase, encompassing all of the world’s children, by 2050. A new report by the UN’s International Labour Organization determined that 2.4 billion people—about 70 percent of the global workforce are endangered by extreme heat, with the Arab and African regions most significantly impacted.
“Excessive heat is the cause of almost 23 million workplace injuries worldwide,” Guterres said in another UN press release. “We need measures to protect workers, grounded in human rights. And we must ensure that laws and regulations reflect the reality of extreme heat today — and are enforced.”
Guterres emphasized that anthropogenic climate change has worsened due to the world’s reliance on fossil fuels and climate inaction. The governments of G20 nations, cities, regions and the private sector, he added, must create climate action plans rooted in scientific data to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celcius.
Alan Herrera is the Editorial Supervisor for the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (AFPC-USA), where he oversees the organization’s media platform, foreignpress.org. He previously served as AFPC-USA’s General Secretary from 2019 to 2021 and as its Treasurer until early 2022.
Alan is an editor and reporter who has worked on interviews with such individuals as former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci; Maria Fernanda Espinosa, the former President of the United Nations General Assembly; and Mariangela Zappia, the former Permanent Representative to Italy for the U.N. and current Italian Ambassador to the United States.
Alan has spent his career managing teams as well as commissioning, writing, and editing pieces on subjects like sustainable trade, financial markets, climate change, artificial intelligence, threats to the global information environment, and domestic and international politics. Alan began his career writing film criticism for fun and later worked as the Editor on the content team for Star Trek actor and activist George Takei, where he oversaw the writing team and championed progressive policy initatives, with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ rights advocacy.