Heat waves are killing more and more people around the world

by Andrew Stroehlein (from Daily Vrief, Human Rights Watch newsletter)

As the effects of global warming become more and more evident, these days the heat has hit the front pages of newspapers around the world like never before.

In Saudi Arabia, this month, more than 1300 people died during the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.Heat stress was a major factor contributing to the death toll, with temperatures topping 50 degrees.

In the United States, approximately 65 million people are facingheat alert, as another "heat bubble" pushed temperatures in some locations above 50 degrees.There are more heat waves in the country deadly hurricanes, floods and tornadoes strung together and heat-related deaths they are on the rise, with over 2300 in 2023.

In both places - Saudi Arabia and the United States - the human damage was exacerbated by authorities who did not are adequately prepared or what they refused to address long-standing social issues, ignoring that some people are more vulnerable than others to heat-related health problems.

In other words, the deadly dangers were foreseeable and avoidable, if only governments had acted in time and made safeguarding human lives their priority.

In many ways, it's the same for global warming as a whole.The problem is known, as is what is needed to save lives, but governments still fail to act.

Let's go over what the science says.Global temperatures have risen because humans have released too many greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, particularly carbon dioxide produced by fossil fuels.

Oil, gas and coal sat there, locking carbon in the ground for millions of years.Then we arrived, extracted them and burned them, releasing that carbon into the air in the form of carbon dioxide.

The result is that over the last ten years the planet has been warmer by approximately 1.2 degrees compared to 1800, the pre-industrial period.It's the decade hottest ever recorded.2023 it was the worst year ever, with the average global temperature near the surface exceeding the pre-industrial level by 1.45 degrees.

In the 2015 Paris Agreement, governments set a goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees.The vast majority of climate scientists claims that this target will not be reached and that a rise of 2.5 degrees Celsius, or worse, is more likely.

Heat waves and climate change:against the deniers

In short, humanity is warming the planet and there is a lack of international objectives to try to keep the situation under control or at least make the impacts more manageable, or at least a little less dystopian.

Governments they must commit to eliminating quickly the extraction and use of fossil fuels.In particular, this means blocking permitting for all new fossil fuel projects and putting an end to government subsidies and ai international funding for oil, gas and coal development.

“The fight against the climate crisis is a fight for a more just world.”The commitment of climate scientists furious with politics

Let's be clear:it's not about "saving the planet", it's about saving people.We need a planet that is habitable for humans.This means that our authorities must make decisions, locally and globally, that prioritize human lives:in Saudi Arabia, the United States and around the world.

Preview image via ccpsc.qc.ca