UN to come up with solutions to support countries cope with extreme heat, give early warning coverage

New Delhi: The United Nations is developing a package of solutions to help countries cope with extreme heat so that every person on the planet is covered by a multi-hazard early warning systems (EWS) by 2027, secretary general António Guterres said on Wednesday in Baku.

This comes after the world saw record rains and hurricanes, historic fires, and deadly droughts, with 2024 on course to becoming the hottest year on record after 2023.

In a report, ‘Call to Action on Extreme Heat’, the UN in July said India reported 40,000 cases of suspected heat strokes and over 100 deaths till mid-June this year as the country, especially the east and northwest regions, witnessed temperatures nearing 50℃.

Emphasizing the importance of early alert in coping with such calamities, Gutierres at a COP29 event said, “In this era of climate catastrophe, early warning systems and protection from extreme heat are not luxuries. They are necessities and sound investments.”

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Standard occupational safety measures responding to extreme heat could save over $360 billion a year. 

“The UN is working to ensure no one is denied these basic protections. We are developing a package of solutions on extreme heat to support countries to act...before the next heatwave strikes.” he added. “The Early Warnings for All Initiative is working to ensure every person on Earth is covered by multi-hazard early warning systems by 2027.”

Almost half the world’s countries are not covered by multi-hazard EWS. Basic data to create these systems is often unavailable. On average, least developed countries and small island developing states have less than 10% percent of the data they need for effective alert systems.

“We must urgently scale-up action which requires high-level political support for the Initiative within countries, increased collaboration, a boost in technology support, and a major effort to scale-up finance for early warning systems—particularly for the most vulnerable,” the UN secretary general said.

“Small Island developing states, and least developed countries are struggling to secure the funds they need. We need providers of bilateral and multilateral funds to redouble their efforts, to help cover investment gaps. We also need to encourage private finance, particularly through public-private partnerships, simplify access to early warning system finance and massively increase the sums available.”

“Increasing the lending capacity of the Multilateral Development Banks is key. The Pact for the Future agreed in September made important strides forward. COP29 must build on the momentum and deliver a new climate finance goal that sees a surge in funds for climate action,” he added.

According to a UN July report, extreme heat is devastating the global economy. When temperatures rise above 24-26°C, labour productivity begins to decline. At 33-34°C, productivity drops by 50%. 

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In 1995, the economic loss due to heat stress at work was $280 billion. That figure is rising as temperatures increase, with expectations that economic losses will reach $2.4 trillion in 2030. This is 2.2% of total working hours worldwide—a loss equivalent to 80 million full-time jobs. Further, heat exposure-related loss in labour capacity resulted in average potential income loss. Heat exposure-related loss in labour capacity resulted in average potential income losses equivalent to $863 billion in 2022.

The report urged international cooperation in four critical areas—care for the vulnerable; protection of workers; using science and data to boost resilience; and limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.