Heatwave

Extreme heat morphs into a major economic shock for an unprepared Europe

The region, where temperatures are rising at a pace that's roughly twice the global average, can no longer afford to ignore the economic impact of global warming

Europe's early heat wave led to spike in deaths, may have killed over 10K

Heat that hit Europe exceptionally early and hard this year appears to have led to a spike in deaths, with well over 10,000 more people dying at the height of the heat wave than would normally have been expected, according to figures that are still emerging across the continent. Measures of what researchers call "excess mortality" - the difference between the normally expected number of deaths and the actual number - spiked in late June, when parts of Europe experienced record temperatures. Experts caution that it takes a while for a full picture to emerge, and that many heat-related deaths will never formally be recorded as such. For example, a heart attack, which can be triggered by extreme heat exposure, especially in people who are older or have underlying health issues, may be listed on a death certificate simply as a heart attack. It's an alarming start to the summer. Several heat waves have killed thousands of people in the past few years in Europe. Still, 2003 stands as the

Heatwaves squeeze household budgets as cooling and food costs rise

Longer cooling hours, higher food and healthcare expenses and lost working time are turning extreme heat into a growing financial burden for households and informal workers

Climate-driven heatwave worsening cost-of-living crisis, says report

Workers in agriculture and construction sectors in India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nigeria are already losing 20 working days or more every year to heat stress, leading to loss of income especially for families already struggling to make ends meet, according to a new report. The report based on an analysis by adelphi global is the first of its kind to trace a direct link between the physical health tolls of climate change and the resulting strain on already strained family budgets and national economies. Spanning eight diverse economies - Bangladesh, Brazil, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Nigeria, and South Africa - the research bridges the gap between climate science, public health, and economic analysis. Extreme heat is being made more frequent and intense by climate change, primarily driven by the burning of fossil fuels like oil, coal, and gas. This year has already seen some of the worst heatwaves ever recorded, some virtually impossible without the influence of climate ...

India among 4 nations with cities at risk from extreme heat: Study

India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Ghana together host the largest number of cities at risk of extreme heat, with major tourist destinations including Jaipur and international business hubs in the top 50, according to an analysis that has ranked 205 of the world's largest cities. More than 95 per cent of the most at-risk cities are in South and Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Iraq's city of Al Basrah is the world's most at-risk, followed by Ahmedabad in Gujarat, the study published in the journal Sustainable Cities and Society says, identifying places where people are most in danger as the planet continues to warm. Fourteen Indian cities that featured in the top 50 at-risk locations included Nagpur and Pune in Maharashtra, Madurai and Chennai in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka's Bengaluru and Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur and Lucknow. Lead author, Nethmi Jayaratne Kariyawasam, a researcher at the UK's Oxford University, said, "It isn't just exposure to hot temperatures that matters for risk. Our .

Europe's heatwave lifts demand for China's portable air conditioners

Midea could see consumer air conditioning sales in Europe grow by more than 20% Y-o-Y for 2nd quarter while Haier could record double-digit growth for its European air-conditioner segment this year

US cancels Independence Day parade in Washington DC due to extreme heat

Authorities scrap the capital's 250th Independence Day parade after heat index forecasts of up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit, with nearly 200 million people under heat alerts

Why Europe's heatwave has already killed 1,300 people | El Niño | France | Germany | WHO

Europe is witnessing one of the worst heatwaves in its recorded history. The ongoing heatwave has caused more than 1,300 excess deaths since June 21, according to the World Health Organization

France records around 1,000 additional deaths amid extreme heatwave

France saw around 1,000 additional deaths last week at the height of its record-smashing heat wave, the country's public health agency said Sunday, as Europeans elsewhere were suffering through yet another day of new temperature highs that sparked wildfires in Germany and had Berlin police using water cannons to cool down the crowds. Temperature records were toppled in several countries on the weekend as the heat wave slowly moved toward eastern parts of the continent. In Germany, a new night time temperature record was reported Sunday from Kubschutz, in eastern Saxony, where the temperature did not drop below 29.4 degrees Celsius. The nightly record came only hours after a daytime record of 41.5 C in Mockern-Drewitz in Saxony-Anhalt, according to preliminary data by the German Weather Service DWD. The previous record was set a day earlier. A new study from the World Weather Attribution, a Europe-based collaboration of scientists, reported Friday that the record-breaking heat and ..

A historic heat wave catches Europe's fashion industry unprepared

As a historic heat wave gripped Paris this week, fashion houses tried to keep their guests cool with ice packs, mist machines and iced Evian on silver platters. It wasn't enough: some venues still sweltered, water ran short and air conditioning was absent or inadequate. Then they sent their models down the runway in leather, neoprene and wool. That was the contradiction at Paris Fashion Week Men's, where a heat wave turned spring-summer fashion into a test of whether luxury can dress - or act - for the warming world it claims to address. "I honestly thought I was going to pass out," said Ben Freeman, a London-based fashion critic from Australia. Some in the front row said Paris may have to consider moving fashion week away from the height of summer if climate change keeps bringing more frequent and intense heat waves. "I don't know how the models did it this week in some of the leather and knit coats," said fashion student Thomas Levy, 24, outside one show. "The heat rarely seem

Why air-conditioning is one of the best solutions for dealing with summers

Most of northwest Europe is critically unprepared for a world in which heatwaves are the norm, not an exception

Intensifying heat wave threatens record-breaking temperatures across Europe

The heat wave is spreading north from mainland Europe, where it's plagued France for nearly a week

Heatwaves, urbanisation drive record power demand, reshape energy planning

A record peak demand of 271 GW in May underscores the growing impact of heatwaves, urbanisation and electrification, while raising fresh questions about grid resilience and energy planning

Heatwaves hit apparel output, worker health across India: NYU Stern report

Study of garment factories across five states finds rising temperatures are hurting worker health, reducing productivity and disrupting output in apparel supply chains

Heatwaves hit output at Indian apparel suppliers serving Uniqlo, Tesco

Research at 10 facilities in four regions found high temperatures are impacting product quality, delivery reliability and contributing to higher employee absenteeism during the peak summer months

Heat, humidity during India's monsoon may extend summer heat stress: Study

Hot and humid conditions prevailing during India's monsoon season could extend the duration of uncompensable heat stress of the summer season under a global warming of 2 degrees Celsius, a study has found. Findings published in the journal American Geophysical Union (AGU) Advances highlight a "surge of UHS (uncompensable heat stress) during the monsoon season (July-October) as the climate warms". Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar and the US' Stanford and Purdue universities said long-lasting uncompensable heat stress across both the seasons -- summer and monsoon -- could pose critical challenges to public health, labour productivity, and climate resilience in densely populated and vulnerable regions. Uncompensable heat stress occurs when one's body is unable to cool down through sweating or other mechanisms due to extreme heat and humidity. A sustained accumulation of heat can endanger human health, including causing heat-related illness, organ .

Heatwave likely to return to Delhi, northwest India; heavy rain in south

The IMD has warned of heatwave conditions over Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan as hot and dry weather regains strength across the region

Over 75% of Delhi remained heat-stressed for six years or more: Report

About 75.78 per cent of Delhi's area remained heat-stressed for six or more years between 2015 and 2024, with a majority of construction sites, marketplaces and schools located in areas experiencing recurring extreme heat, according to a report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The report, titled "Making Delhi Heat-Resilient: A Roadmap with the Focus on Vulnerable Groups", said that 98.72 per cent of Delhi's total area crossed the heat-stress threshold at least once during the decade. According to the study, 92 per cent of construction projects are located in areas where land surface temperatures crossed the 45 degrees Celsius threshold at least once between 2015 and 2024, while 77 per cent are in areas witnessing recurring extreme heat. About 84 per cent of the 643 mapped marketplaces, including major mandis, are situated in areas experiencing recurrent heat stress, while 76 per cent of mapped informal settlements housing nearly 1.32 million people are located in ...

Why India needs cheaper finance to fight the rising cost of heatwaves

As heatwaves intensify, India needs more funding for climate adaptation. But rising borrowing costs and debt burdens are making climate finance harder and more expensive to access

Beyond forecasting: Can AI help Indian cities fight heatwave better?

AI is moving beyond heatwave forecasts into urban planning, healthcare and power management, but experts warn gaps in data, governance and access still remain