One billion more people face at least one day of extreme heat stress, compared to 1970s: Study

NEW DELHI: (Jun 22) An additional one billion people face at least one day of extreme heat stress, compared with the 1970s, showing that heat stress around the world is increasing in frequency, severity and duration, during both the day and night, a study shows.

Researchers from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts in the UK and Germany suggested that heat-health action plans, early-warning systems, urban cooling interventions, and the integration of heat stress metrics in climate risk assessments may help reduce vulnerability to heat stress.

Heat stress — the net heat load on an individual — is influenced by factors such as temperature, humidity, wind, and radiation. It can be assessed using the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), or a ‘feels-like’ temperature, which measures the external factors and models the human body’s response to the environment.