Climate Change could widen the gap between rich and poor as extreme heat claims more lives | Report
430,000 extra deaths every year by 2050 because of extreme heat. The report points out that some wealthy countries are just as hot as poorer ones but are much better prepared. (Photo: TV9 Network)As the planet. . .
430,000 extra deaths every year by 2050 because of extreme heat. The report points out that some wealthy countries are just as hot as poorer ones but are much better prepared. (Photo: TV9 Network)As the planet gets hotter, staying safe during extreme heat may depend on something many people take for granted—air conditioning. But while people in richer countries are expected to buy more ACs as temperatures rise, millions in poorer countries may not have enough electricity to keep cool. A new report by the Climate Impact Lab warns that climate change could cause around 430,000 extra deaths every year by 2050 because of extreme heat. The biggest impact will be on poorer nations, where nearly 10 times more people are expected to die than in wealthier countries. Air conditioning can save livesAir conditioning is one of the best ways to protect people during heatwaves. In rich countries, people can usually afford ACs and have reliable electricity to run them. As temperatures rise, more households are expected to install cooling systems. But in many poor countries, that’s not the case. Even as the climate gets hotter, people may still not have enough electricity to power air conditioners. The report says middle-income countries are expected to use seven times more electricity for cooling than low-income countries. In fact, the increase in electricity available per person in the poorest countries would only be enough to power one LED light bulb for about four months. The poorest countries face the biggest riskResearchers identified 18 countries where people face both extreme heat and very limited access to electricity. Together, these countries are home to about 676 million people. By 2050, around 377,000 people in these countries could die each year because of rising temperatures and a lack of cooling. Most of these countries are in northern sub-Saharan Africa, including Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Chad. Others are in South Asia, such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar. Same heat, different outcomesThe report points out that some wealthy countries are just as hot as poorer ones but are much better prepared. For example, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain have very high temperatures, but they also have reliable electricity and widespread use of air conditioning. This helps protect people from deadly heat. The difference is clear when comparing Niger and Saudi Arabia. By 2050, people in Niger are expected to use only about one-ninth as much extra electricity as people in Saudi Arabia. Because of this, Niger could see 27,000 more heat-related deaths every year than its richer neighbor. For India“India’s electricity demand is projected to grow 12% by 2050 due to warmer temperatures, one of the fastest projected increases in Asia. As this report notes, even modest increases in demand can further stress an already strained grid: more than half of rural Indian households already experience outages multiple times a day. Meeting that demand will take real investment in infrastructure and power market reform”, says Ashwini Rode, Director, Scientific Research, Energu Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Better energy access is keyExperts say improving access to affordable and reliable electricity is one of the best ways to protect people from extreme heat. Other important steps include setting up heat warning systems, improving healthcare, and creating programs that help vulnerable communities during heatwaves. The report says many of these solutions still need to be tested on a larger scale, especially in developing countries. A growing challengeThe Climate Impact Lab says climate adaptation should become a bigger part of the global response to climate change, alongside efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The report highlights a growing problem: the countries that have contributed the least to climate change are likely to suffer the most. Without better access to electricity and other ways to cope with rising temperatures, millions of people could face increasing risks as the world continues to warm. If you’re writing for a general news website, this version is easier to read and follows a straightforward news style without technical language. Nivriti MohanNivriti Mohan is an Associate Editor with News9 Plus. In her journalistic experience of 18 years she has 15 years of experience as a field reporter. A professionally trained lawyer she has covered Legal, political, Human Interest stories, among others. Read MoreLatest Stories