Mapping Global Population Exposure to Heatwaves

Abstract

Global warming has become a severe problem worldwide, where the average global temperature has steadily increased over recent decades, accompanied by the abnormally hot weather (IPCC 2013). Since the 1950s, heatwave events have increased in frequency, intensity, and duration and their impact on human health will also increase under enhanced global warming (Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Lewis 2020). Heatwaves have become one of the most serious climate events in the world. Thousands of people have died from exposing to heatwaves in recent years, for instance, the European heatwave of 2003 induced more than 70,000 additional deaths (Robine et al. 2008). Heat-related mortality and morbidity are not only attributed to natural hazards resulting from climate change (Seneviratne et al. 2012). Both climatic factors and socioeconomic factors such as population change and vulnerability of people exposed to heatwaves have impact on the number of deaths caused by heatwaves. Thus, a comprehensive and quantitative assessment of heatwave exposure is conducive to taking targeted measures to reduce the risk in hotspot regions of the world.

Daytime Heat Wave Seasonal Variability over India

“…Nearly a third of the global population is already exposed to potentially fatal heat for 20 days or higher per year, with forecasts predicting that by 2100, as much as seventy-five percent of people could be susceptible to life-threatening heat waves since carbon footprints have failed to significantly cut (Friedrich, 2017;Ariyaningsih et al, 2022;Han et al, 2022). According to recent studies, climate change is causing, deadly heat waves in India to become more frequent, intense, and prolonged (Murari et al, 2015;Singh et al, 2021;Regan, 2023;Mogul, 2023).…”

Deciphering the Shift from Warm-Dry to Warm-Wet Events in Ice-Covered and Non-Ice-Covered Regions

“…First, we examine the proportion and duration of warm-wet events and warm-dry events during summers from 1979 to 2022 in five representative regions: Greenland, West Antarctica, Europe, South China, and the US Great Plains. These regions are identified as the hotspots of research on heatwaves with regard to ice melt, human health risk, and yield loss (Han et al, 2022;He et al, 2022). Secondly, we investigate the relative atmospheric processes and surface energy budget through a composite analysis.…”