Risk of Death Rises as Climate Change Causes NightTime Temperatures to Climb - Video
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Overview
Climate change may increase the mortality rate due to excessive heat by six times by the end of the century, according to a modeling study published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal. Researchers from the University of North Carolina, US noted that ambient heat during the night may interrupt the normal physiology of sleep.
Less sleep can then lead to immune system damage and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, chronic illnesses, inflammation, and mental health conditions, they said.
The study found that the average intensity of hot night events will nearly double by 2090, from 20.4 degrees Celsius to 39.7 degrees Celsius across 28 cities in east Asia, increasing the burden of disease due to excessive heat that disrupts normal sleep.
The findings show that the burden of mortality could be significantly higher than estimated by the average daily temperature increase.
The results suggest that warming from climate change could have a troubling impact, even under restrictions from the Paris Climate Agreement that aims to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.
The team was able to estimate that Between 2016 and 2100, the risk of death from excessively hot nights would increase
nearly by six-fold. This prediction is much higher than the mortality risk from daily average warming suggested by climate change models.
The researchers said stronger mitigation strategies, including global collaborations, should be considered to reduce future impacts of warming.
Ref - Cheng He, Ho Kim, et al, The effects of night-time warming on mortality burden under future climate change scenarios: a modeling study, The lancet planetary health, Aug 2022
Doi -https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00139-5
