World witnessed '26 extra days of extreme heat' last year due to climate change

The world witnessed an average of '26 more days of extreme heat' last year due to climate change, according to a report by the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre.

The report pointed out an increasing intensity of global warming leading to climate change deaths and extreme weather.

The scientist studied 30-year data from 1991 to 2020 and found a 10 percent increase in temperature in each country over that period.

Subsequently, the researchers reviewed the statistics for 12 months, from 15 May 2023 to 15 May 2024, and examined the influence of climate change on these excessively hot days.

The result found that each part of the world experienced an average of 26 more days of extreme heat due to the climate change caused by humans.

According to the European Union’s climate monitor, Copernicus, the year 2023 was recorded as the hottest year. 

However, the Red Cross report stated that some 6.3 billion people, or 80 percent of the world’s population have experienced at least 31 days of extreme heat in the last 12 months.

As many as 76 heat waves were witnessed in different countries on all continents except Antarctica.

“Extreme heat is known to have killed tens of thousands of people over 12 months, but the real number is likely in even millions,” the report revealed.

“Flooding and hurricanes may report in the news, but heat waves are equally deadly,” said Jagan Chapagain, secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross.