High temperatures
Environmental Impacts:
Ecosystems and Wildlife:
High temperatures can disrupt the delicate balance of ecosystems, leading to changes in species distribution, behavior, and survival rates.
Heatwaves can cause mass die-offs in animal populations and contribute to coral bleaching in marine environments.
Agriculture:
Crops and livestock can be severely affected by high temperatures, leading to reduced yields, quality, and profitability.
Prolonged heat can stress plants, making them more susceptible to disease and pests.
Water Resources:
Increased evaporation rates can lower water levels in reservoirs, lakes, and rivers, exacerbating drought conditions.
Warmer water temperatures can affect water quality by increasing the likelihood of algal blooms, which can be toxic and deplete oxygen levels, harming aquatic life.
Forests and Wildfires:
High temperatures, especially when combined with drought, increase the risk and intensity of wildfires.
Heat can also exacerbate the spread of invasive species and pests like bark beetles that kill trees.
Human Health impacts:
Heat-Related Illnesses:
Heatstroke, dehydration, and other heat-related illnesses become more common during periods of high temperatures, particularly among vulnerable populations like the elderly, children, and those with pre-existing health conditions.
Air Quality:
High temperatures can lead to the formation of ground-level ozone, a key component of smog, which exacerbates respiratory conditions such as asthma.
Worker Safety:
Outdoor workers, including those in construction and agriculture, are at increased risk for heat-related illnesses.
Economic impacts:
Energy Demand:
High temperatures typically lead to increased use of air conditioning, which can strain energy grids and lead to higher energy costs.
Infrastructure:
Heat can damage infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and railways, leading to costly repairs and disruptions.
Productivity:
Worker productivity can decline, particularly in industries that require outdoor labor or non-air-conditioned environments.
Societal impacts:
Urban Heat islands:
Urban areas can experience higher temperatures due to the concentration of buildings, vehicles, and human activities, exacerbating the health and energy impacts of heat.
Migration:
Extreme heat and its effects on agriculture and water supply can contribute to the displacement of populations, leading to climate refugees.
Climate Change Connection:
High temperatures are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change, as the greenhouse effect causes global temperatures to rise.
Extreme heat events, once considered rare, are becoming more common and are expected to increase in frequency, duration, and intensity as the planet continues to warm.
Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies:
Building Design:
Incorporating passive cooling, green roofs, and better insulation can help buildings stay cooler without excessive energy use.
Urban Planning:
Planting trees and creating green spaces can mitigate the urban heat island effect and provide cool areas for residents.
Public Health Initiatives:
Heat-health warning systems and public education campaigns can help prevent heat-related illnesses.
Renewable Energy:
Investing in renewable energy sources can reduce the reliance on fossil fuels, which contribute to global warming and exacerbate high temperature conditions.
Water Conservation:
Efficient water use and conservation strategies become critical during times of high heat to ensure adequate supply.
The impacts of climate change haven’t been spread evenly around our planet and they won’t be in the future, either. Temperatures increase at different speeds everywhere, with warming generally higher over land areas than oceans. The strongest warming is happening in the Arctic during its cool seasons, and in Earth’s mid-latitude regions during the warm season.
Temperature change is not uniform across the globe. Projected changes are shown for the average temperature of the annual hottest day (top) and the annual coldest night (bottom) with 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming (left) and 2 degrees Celsius of global warming (right) compared to pre-industrial levels. Credit: FAQ 3.1, Figure 1 from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5º Celsius (2.7º Fahrenheit).
In many regions, warming has already surpassed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. More than one-fifth of all humans live in regions that have already seen warming greater than 1.5 degrees Celsius in at least one season. Climate-related risks were found to be generally higher at lower latitudes and for disadvantaged people and communities.
Temperature Extremes
Warm — According to the report, extreme temperatures on land are projected to warm more than the global average surface temperature, with substantial differences from place to place.
Figure 3.4 | Projected changes in extremes at 1.5 degrees Celsius (left) and 2 degrees Celsius (middle) of global warming compared to the pre-industrial period (1861–1880), and the difference between 1.5 degrees Celsius and 2 degrees Celsius of global warming (right). Temperature of annual hottest day (maximum temperature), TXx (top), and temperature of annual coldest night (minimum temperature), TNn (middle), and annual maximum 5-day precipitation, Rx5day (bottom). Credit: Figure 3.4 from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5º Celsius (2.7º Fahrenheit).
Most land regions will see more hot days, especially in the tropics. At 1.5 degrees Celsius warming, about 14 percent of Earth’s population will be exposed to severe heatwaves at least once every five years, while at 2 degrees warming that number jumps to 37 percent. Extreme heatwaves will become widespread at 1.5 degrees Celsius warming.
Extreme heatwaves, like the one that affected Europe in the summer of 2006, are projected to become widespread at 1.5 degrees Celsius warming. This map, derived from NASA MODIS Terra satellite data, depicts the July 2006 land surface temperature anomaly with regard to the period from 2000-2012. Credit: Giorgiogp2 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
Limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius would reduce the number of people frequently exposed to extreme heatwaves by about 420 million, with about 65 million fewer people exposed to exceptional heatwaves.
At Earth’s mid-latitudes, the hottest days will be up to 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter at 1.5 degrees Celsius warming and up to 4 degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer at 2 degrees Celsius warming. The warmest extreme temperatures will be in Central and Eastern North America, Central and Southern Europe, the Mediterranean (including Southern Europe, Northern Africa and the near-East), Western and Central Asia and Southern Africa. Longer warm spells will affect many densely populated regions. At warming above 1.5 degrees Celsius, twice as many megacities as today are likely to become heat stressed, potentially exposing 350 million more people by 2050.
At 2 degrees Celsius warming, the deadly heatwaves India and Pakistan saw in 2015 may occur annually.
Cold — In Earth’s high latitudes, the coldest nights will be about 4.5 degrees Celsius (8.1 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer at 1.5 degrees of warming, compared to about 6 degrees Celsius (10.8 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer at 2 degrees of warming. Arctic land regions will see cold extremes warm by as much as 5.5 degrees Celsius (9.9 degrees Fahrenheit) at 1.5 degrees Celsius warming or less, while at warming of 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius, cold extremes will be up to 8 degrees Celsius (14.4 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer. Cold spells will also be shorter.
Name
High temperatures
Description
The climate crisis has increased the average global temperature and is leading to more frequent high-temperature extremes, such as heatwaves. High temperatures, particularly when they are extreme and sustained, can have significant impacts on the environment, human health, economies, and infrastructure.
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