In a sobering revelation, a report from Climate Central has indicated that around 80% of the global population, or nearly 7 billion people, experienced unusually high temperatures in July 2023 due to human-caused climate change. This staggering figure underscores an alarming reality: the climate crisis is not a distant threat, but a present danger that is already affecting the lives of billions of people worldwide.
The study found that in July 2023 almost 7 billion people experienced at least one day that was intensified by at least three times due to the effects of climate change. Certain regions were identified as hotspots including the Caribbean, Central America, northern Africa, the Middle East, the Sahel, and even parts of Canada. These regions experienced severe heatwaves that were directly linked to climate change.
Cities that were particularly vulnerable to the heat induced by climate change were Alexandria in Egypt, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Dhaka in Bangladesh, and Mexico City. These densely populated urban centers, located in countries already grappling with significant environmental challenges, bore the brunt of the climate change-induced heat.
Ironically, during July 2023, the most significant climate-related heat impacts were felt by areas that contributed the least to the climate change problem. Small island developing states, which are among the least contributors to global carbon emissions, found themselves at the receiving end of the harsh impact of climate change.
In the United States, July 2023 was the hottest month on record for over two dozen cities. Phoenix made history by becoming the first U.S. city to record an average monthly temperature over 100°F, a stark reminder of the escalating climate crisis.
The intense heat wave in July 2023 marked Earth’s hottest month on record. The study directly linked this extreme weather event to climate change, affecting more than 6.5 billion people globally. This paints a grim picture of a world increasingly at the mercy of extreme weather events, with heatwaves being one of the most immediate and deadly manifestations of climate change.
The study went on to analyze climate change attribution for 4,700 cities and 200 countries. It was found that 2 billion people, primarily in a tropical belt across the globe, experienced daily exacerbated heat in July due to climate change. This suggests that climate change is no longer an abstract concept, but a lived reality for a significant portion of the global population.
The study’s findings, made using peer-reviewed climate fingerprinting methods, strongly suggest that human-caused climate change influenced July temperatures for the vast majority of humanity. This report underscores the urgent need for global action to mitigate the effects of climate change, which is already causing widespread disruption and hardship.
