Rapid climate action is needed: comparing heat vs. COVID-19-related mortality
Abstract The impacts of climate change on human health are often underestimated or perceived to be in a distant future. Here, we present the projected impacts of climate change in the context of COVID-19, a recent human health catastrophe. We compared projected heat mortality with COVID-19 deaths in...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82788-8 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1841544858891714560 |
|---|---|
| author | Fulden Batibeniz Sonia I. Seneviratne Srinidhi Jha Andreia Ribeiro Laura Suarez Gutierrez Christoph C. Raible Avni Malhotra Ben Armstrong Michelle L. Bell Eric Lavigne Antonio Gasparrini Yuming Guo Masahiro Hashizume Pierre Masselot Susana Pereira da Silva Dominic Royé Francesco Sera Shilu Tong Aleš Urban Ana M. Vicedo-Cabrera |
| author_facet | Fulden Batibeniz Sonia I. Seneviratne Srinidhi Jha Andreia Ribeiro Laura Suarez Gutierrez Christoph C. Raible Avni Malhotra Ben Armstrong Michelle L. Bell Eric Lavigne Antonio Gasparrini Yuming Guo Masahiro Hashizume Pierre Masselot Susana Pereira da Silva Dominic Royé Francesco Sera Shilu Tong Aleš Urban Ana M. Vicedo-Cabrera |
| author_sort | Fulden Batibeniz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The impacts of climate change on human health are often underestimated or perceived to be in a distant future. Here, we present the projected impacts of climate change in the context of COVID-19, a recent human health catastrophe. We compared projected heat mortality with COVID-19 deaths in 38 cities worldwide and found that in half of these cities, heat-related deaths could exceed annual COVID-19 deaths in less than ten years (at + 3.0 °C increase in global warming relative to preindustrial). In seven of these cities, heat mortality could exceed COVID-19 deaths in less than five years. Our results underscore the crucial need for climate action and for the integration of climate change into public health discourse and policy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f80d464640814150bfc11aecde2fd7e5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-f80d464640814150bfc11aecde2fd7e52025-01-12T12:14:39ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-01-011511810.1038/s41598-024-82788-8Rapid climate action is needed: comparing heat vs. COVID-19-related mortalityFulden Batibeniz0Sonia I. Seneviratne1Srinidhi Jha2Andreia Ribeiro3Laura Suarez Gutierrez4Christoph C. Raible5Avni Malhotra6Ben Armstrong7Michelle L. Bell8Eric Lavigne9Antonio Gasparrini10Yuming Guo11Masahiro Hashizume12Pierre Masselot13Susana Pereira da Silva14Dominic Royé15Francesco Sera16Shilu Tong17Aleš Urban18Ana M. Vicedo-Cabrera19Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH ZurichDepartment of Environmental Systems Science, Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH ZurichDepartment of Environmental Systems Science, Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH ZurichDepartment of Environmental Systems Science, Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH ZurichDepartment of Environmental Systems Science, Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH ZurichOeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR), University of BernBiological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National LaboratoryDepartment of Public Health Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineSchool of the Environment, Yale UniversityFaculty of Medicine, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of OttawaEnvironment and Health Modelling (EHM) Lab, Department of Public Health Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineDepartment of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash UniversityDepartment of Global Health Policy, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoEnvironment and Health Modelling (EHM) Lab, Department of Public Health Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineDepartment of Epidemiology, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo JorgeClimate Research Foundation (FIC)Department of Statistics, Computer Science and Applications “G. Parenti”, University of FlorenceChinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Environmental HealthInstitute of Atmospheric Physics, Czech Academy of SciencesOeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR), University of BernAbstract The impacts of climate change on human health are often underestimated or perceived to be in a distant future. Here, we present the projected impacts of climate change in the context of COVID-19, a recent human health catastrophe. We compared projected heat mortality with COVID-19 deaths in 38 cities worldwide and found that in half of these cities, heat-related deaths could exceed annual COVID-19 deaths in less than ten years (at + 3.0 °C increase in global warming relative to preindustrial). In seven of these cities, heat mortality could exceed COVID-19 deaths in less than five years. Our results underscore the crucial need for climate action and for the integration of climate change into public health discourse and policy.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82788-8 |
| spellingShingle | Fulden Batibeniz Sonia I. Seneviratne Srinidhi Jha Andreia Ribeiro Laura Suarez Gutierrez Christoph C. Raible Avni Malhotra Ben Armstrong Michelle L. Bell Eric Lavigne Antonio Gasparrini Yuming Guo Masahiro Hashizume Pierre Masselot Susana Pereira da Silva Dominic Royé Francesco Sera Shilu Tong Aleš Urban Ana M. Vicedo-Cabrera Rapid climate action is needed: comparing heat vs. COVID-19-related mortality Scientific Reports |
| title | Rapid climate action is needed: comparing heat vs. COVID-19-related mortality |
| title_full | Rapid climate action is needed: comparing heat vs. COVID-19-related mortality |
| title_fullStr | Rapid climate action is needed: comparing heat vs. COVID-19-related mortality |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rapid climate action is needed: comparing heat vs. COVID-19-related mortality |
| title_short | Rapid climate action is needed: comparing heat vs. COVID-19-related mortality |
| title_sort | rapid climate action is needed comparing heat vs covid 19 related mortality |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82788-8 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fuldenbatibeniz rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT soniaiseneviratne rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT srinidhijha rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT andreiaribeiro rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT laurasuarezgutierrez rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT christophcraible rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT avnimalhotra rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT benarmstrong rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT michellelbell rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT ericlavigne rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT antoniogasparrini rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT yumingguo rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT masahirohashizume rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT pierremasselot rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT susanapereiradasilva rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT dominicroye rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT francescosera rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT shilutong rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT alesurban rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality AT anamvicedocabrera rapidclimateactionisneededcomparingheatvscovid19relatedmortality |