Hotter than ever: Why rising temperatures are a big deal for all of us

This blog post shares findings from a research project conducted by a student from University College London’s BSc in Global Humanitarian Studies, through their internship with Practical Action in the summer of 2024.

The impacts from heat are felt by those most vulnerable

The impacts of heatwaves are severe and touch every aspect of society, but it’s critical to recognise that these effects are not evenly distributed. Social determinants such as gender can influence how people experience and respond to extreme heat. This disproportionately impacts the economically disadvantaged reiterating exiting inequalities and perpetuates the poverty cycle.

Those in informal settlements and outdoor workers bear the brunt of heat impacts, not only because they are exposed to heat, but also because they are usually not covered by social protection measures and are lower-income households who cannot afford to skip out on work. It is therefore essential to develop heat resilience strategies that address social inequalities.

Why heat matters

Extreme heat is becoming increasingly frequent, intense, and hazardous. 2019 alone saw 356,000 heat-related deaths. Heat also causes heat stroke and loss of consciousness, and exacerbates chronic illnesses, overburdening healthcare systems.

These health impacts also result in a decline in productivity, causing a ripple effect on the wider economy. It is predicted that there will be $2.3 trillion in productivity losses by 2030 unless this issue is tackled seriously.

The current reliance on active cooling technologies, such as air conditioning are unsustainable and place an additional burden on energy supplies. Heat also can reduce agricultural outputs, affects water availability, and destroy crucial city infrastructure. Extreme heat in India in 2016 caused tarmac road surfaces to melt, making roads inaccessible and dangerous.

It is only going to get worse

Over the past year alone, human-driven climate change has added an average of 26 days of extreme heat worldwide. These increasing trends can compound risks, disrupting supply chains and worsening food security in the long-term.

Relying on air conditioning and other mitigation strategies are not sustainable. As well as the energy they consume, their use can lead to yet more heat.

What we can do

At Practical Action we are committed to working with communities at risk and government authorities to co-design ingenious solutions. Solutions to heat are being developed across the world, including developing city heat action plans, developing early warning systems, using nature-based solutions to provide shade, and focusing on sustainable energy solutions. There is a lot we can learn from, and we are starting to make progress:

• The Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance is working to reduce the impacts of extreme heat events, in both rural and urban communities.
• Our Nepal team is currently developing an innovative ‘Heat AI’ initiative to create a mobile app and dashboard empower people to stay informed and take proactive measures against heat risks.

Why it’s urgent

Extreme heat is a critical and growing threat to the people on the front lines of climate change, particularly for the most vulnerable and marginalised in society.

Given the existing impacts of extreme heat the potential for further damage and cascading risks, we need to scale up our response and do more to address the issue of heat. We need to do this before temperatures reach an irreversible tipping point.