Heat waves have become the weather phenomenon that affects the greatest number of people, surpassing any other climate event. Forecasts show that, in the next century, if no action is taken, they will adversely affect 75% of the people on the planet.
Climate change has led to an increase in the intensity, duration and frequency of heat waves around the world in recent years.
Today we all know that climate change is not a problem of the future but of the present we live in today. Heat waves are multiplying and are another sign that we are facing a real change in which extreme meteorological phenomena are taking up more and more space. According to the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), heat waves are multiplying.
on Climate Change (IPCC), scientists are observing changes in the Earth’s climate in all regions. Many of the observed changes in climate are unprecedented in hundreds of thousands of years.
Global temperatures averaged over the next 20 years are projected to reach or exceed 1.5°C warming.
According to this report, this will result in an increase in heat waves and in the fact that warm seasons will become longer while cold seasons will become shorter and shorter. If global warming were to reach 2 °C, extreme heat events would more frequently reach critical tolerance thresholds for agriculture and health. It does not take much more argument to make it clear why action is needed.
In this context, it should be noted that cities are increasing in temperature at twice the average rate of global warming due to increased urbanization and the urban heat island effect. For this reason, it is essential to make a plan that allows cities to adapt to this new reality and become resilient spaces. Seville has already taken action. Did you know that heat has a direct impact on the economy and labor productivity? It is estimated that cities will lose almost 2% of their annual economic output if measures are not taken to develop heat resilience. It is time to act because the effects of extreme heat are not visible in the same way as the destruction of other weather phenomena but its impact on the mental and physical health of all people is very important and especially on those considered vulnerable.
