UN Secretary-General issues call to action on extreme heat
Abstract
Crippling heat is everywhere. Billions of people around the world are wilting under increasingly severe heatwaves driven largely by a fossil-fuel charged, human-induced climate crisis. More than 70% of the global workforce - 2.4 billion people are now at high risk of extreme heat. The most vulnerable communities are hit hardest. In response to the rapid rise in the scale, intensity, frequency and duration of extreme heat, UN Secretary General António Guterres called for an urgent and concerted effort to enhance international cooperation to address extreme heat in four critical areas: Caring for the vulnerable; Protecting workers; Boosting resilience of economies and societies using data and science; Limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C by phasing out fossil fuels and scaling up investment in renewable energy.