72 countries experienced hottest summer on record driven by climate change: Analysis

This summer was India’s second-hottest season since at least 1970, from when reliable satellite records are available, and nearly a third of the Indian population experienced at least seven days of potentially risky temperatures hotter than temperatures observed in a local area over the 1991-2020 period, found an analysis.

At least 20.5 million Indians were exposed to temperatures driven by climate change for at least 60 days in the past three months, which was the highest in the world, the analysis by Climate Central, a non-profit group, found.

Globally, one in four people on the planet experienced at least 30 days of health-threatening temperatures very strongly influenced by climate change between June and August. On average, climate change added 17 days of “risky heat” around the world

Among Indian cities, Mumbai saw 54 days with temperatures exceptionally influenced by climate change. Kanpur and Delhi experienced long streaks of temperatures considered dangerous to human health, with mean temperatures above 39°C. Such temperatures were made four times more likely because of climate change.

According to the report, 180 cities in the Northern Hemisphere experienced at least one extreme heatwave from June to August. These heatwaves are, on average, 21 times more likely today because of carbon pollution, mainly caused by burning coal, oil and gas.

“High temperatures that were clearly influenced by climate change jeopardized the health of billions around the world during the past three months,” said Andrew Pershing, vice president for science at Climate Central, said. “No region, country, or city is safe from the deadly threats posed by burning fossil fuels.”

The analysis quantifies the influence of climate change on global temperatures. To estimate the risks of heat to human health, researchers looked at days in which temperatures were much hotter than the historical record -- the “risky heat” days.

The analysis also details exposure to climate change-influenced heat at the city level, with detailed information for more than 1,200 cities. During this record-breaking season in human history, few urban areas escaped the impacts of carbon pollution, mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas.