Burning Hot: These regions are likely to witness record-smashing heat waves

Regions across the world have experienced extreme weather events in recent years. In 2022, unprecedented heat waves hit Europe, while some countries in Asia, especially China, reported severe droughts and high temperatures. A new study has warned that more such record-breaking heat waves can be expected in the future, with those regions most at risk that are least prepared for such events.

The University of Bristol-led study published on Tuesday (25 April) in the journal Nature Communications suggested that every region in the world must be prepared for scorching temperatures. For the study, researchers analysed climate models as well as temperature data sets covering 60 years to predict the places most likely to experience extreme heat events.

What did the study find and which regions are the most vulnerable to record-smashing heat waves? Let’s understand.

Findings of the study

The researchers found those places that are past due breaking their temperature records were more susceptible. The factors that put these areas more at risk than others are steep expected population growth and limited access to healthcare and energy resources.

Moreover, scientists said that regions facing the most threat are those that have no prior experience in dealing with such extreme heat before. As they have not had a reason to adapt to a similar disaster in the past, they might not be prepared for an event in the future.

It also says that no region is safe from the threat, noting that “statistically implausible” extreme heat waves have occurred between 1959 and 2021 in 31 per cent of regions examined.

Climate change has made heat waves more and more frequent, which has the potential to cause thousands of excess deaths.

Most at-risk regions

According to the study, Afghanistan is the “region of most concern”. One of the poorest countries, Afghanistan has a growing population that is facing the problem of limited resources.

Dann Mitchell, study co-author and a professor in atmospheric sciences at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, told CNN that “not only is there high potential for record-breaking extreme heat” in Afghanistan but “impacts will be intensified by the huge difficulties the country already faces”.

“When a really extreme heat wave does finally come along, then there are instantly going to be a lot of problems,” Mitchell added.

Papua New Guinea and parts of Central America – Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama – are also facing the threat of extreme heat waves, as per the study. While their population is not expected to hike as much as in other places, there is a larger gap between mercury recorded in the past and extreme temperatures possible in the future, reported The Verge.

Some regions in China – Beijing, Hebei, and Tianjin – and European countries, including Germany, Netherlands and Belgium, are also more at risk of logging record-smashing temperatures, says the study.

However, these more affluent countries will possibly be better prepared to mitigate such threats in the future.

Vikki Thompson, lead author of the paper, was quoted as saying by SciTechDaily: “As heat waves are occurring more often we need to be better prepared. We identify regions that may have been lucky so far – some of these regions have rapidly growing populations, some are developing nations, some are already very hot. We need to ask if the heat action plans for these areas are sufficient.”

ALSO READ: ‘A year of extremes’: What World Meteorological Organization’s 2022 report says about the state of global climate

How to deal with the threat?

The study authors have called on the governments to take action to avoid deaths and other harmful health impacts related to extreme temperatures.

Setting up cooling centres or reducing hours for those working outside can be some solutions.

“There’s lots and lots of climate research coming out saying that heatwaves are going to happen more often,” Thompson said, as per The Verge. “Policymakers need to make sure that they are prepared and that they are prepared for events beyond what we think could happen.”

Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London, who was not associated with the study, told CNN: “Heat waves and other extreme weather events will only become more intense as the world continues to burn fossil fuels”.

Otto added that many policies are already in place that can help in saving lives, including “preparing heat wave management plans, ensuring and testing they are implemented, informing the public about imminent heat waves, and protecting people who are vulnerable to the impacts of heat waves.”

According to SciTechDaily, co-author of the study Mitchell said, “Being prepared saves lives. We have seen some of the most unexpected heatwaves around the world lead to heat-related deaths in the tens of thousands. In this study, we show that such record-smashing events could occur anywhere. Governments around the world need to be prepared.”

With inputs from agencies

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