Researchers from the US and Australia have used an advanced model to measure the impact of high temperatures and humidity on the human body and in different in different climatic regions.
The ‘Heat-Lim’ model, used by researchers, calculates how many hours a year the human body is only capable of light tasks, such as sitting or lying down, before the heat and humidity pose a risk.
In South America, for example, the impact is severe in the Amazon and tropical lowlands. Older adults face between 1,500 and 2,000 hours a year in which any exertion can endanger their health. This means that, for a third or even half the year, thousands of older people in the Amazon region simply cannot clean, work the land, or care for their grandchildren without risking heatstroke.
In higher, dryer regions, such as the Andes, the problem is less severe, highlighting the fact that unbearable heat is concentrated where humidity is high and access to fans or air conditioning is limited.
The research also shows that social inequality exacerbates the problem. People with fewer resources, those who live in rural areas, or those who work outdoors are more exposed to these conditions. And in cities, poorer neighbourhoods and poorly ventilated homes suffer the most from the impact of heat waves. So social inequality and lack of access to air conditioning are exacerbating the effects of extreme heat in rural areas and urban slums.
Scientists warn that if climate change is not curbed, those non productive hours – when we are capable of only light tasks – will continue to increase in all regions of the planet.
If global emissions continue to rise, summers will become longer, and daily life will become even more restricted. And without urgent action to curb climate change and protect the most vulnerable, millions will see their daily lives redefined by climate change.
Read the full story (in Spanish) on Argentinian news site Infobae, here.