From Climate Home news on FridayUN CHIEF: EXTREME HEAT THE NEW...

From Climate Home news on Friday

UN CHIEF: EXTREME HEAT THE NEW ABNORMAL

"UN chief appeals for global action to tackle deadly extreme heat

"Antonio Guterres calls extreme heat “the new abnormal” as he urges countries to step up protection of vulnerable populations

"People everywhere are struggling with the fatal impacts of worsening extreme heat, which is also damaging economies, widening inequalities and undermining the world’s development goals, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday.

"Calling for global action to limit the devastating consequences, the head of the United Nations said “billions of people are facing an extreme heat epidemic – wilting under increasingly deadly heatwaves”.

"Extreme-heat events have been getting more frequent, intense and longer-lasting in recent decades as a result of human-made climate change.

"Guterres’ appeal comes as the record for the world’s hottest day was broken twice on consecutive days this week, according to Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

"Monday beat Sunday, with the global average surface air temperature reaching 17.16 Celsius, as parts of the world sweltered through fierce heatwaves from the Mediterranean to Russia and Canada.

"Guterres said the UN had just received preliminary data indicating that Tuesday “was in the same range”, which would make a third hottest straight day on record, if confirmed.

"In a speech, he noted that heat – driven by “fossil fuel-charged, human-induced climate change” – is estimated to kill almost half a million people a year, about 30 times more than tropical cyclones."