Extreme Heat Limits Outdoor Activities For One Third Of Human Population - CleanTechnica

A recent study by scientists from the Nature Conservancy, published in a scientific journal, reveals that nearly one-third of the global population today cannot safely perform outdoor work due to rising temperatures driven by fossil fuel combustion. These extreme heat conditions hinder even basic physical activities, such as housework or climbing stairs, especially during peak summer daylight hours. The elderly are disproportionately affected because their bodies have a reduced ability to regulate temperature through sweating. On average, people over 65 now face about 900 hours annually when heat severely limits safe outdoor activity, a significant increase from 600 hours in 1950, equating to over a month of daytime hours with heightened heat stress. The study highlights that poorer countries and regions suffer the most from these heat limitations, despite contributing least to climate change. Tropical and subtropical areas, including parts of southwest Asia (e.g., Bahrain, Qatar, UAE), south Asia (e.g., India, Pakistan, Bangladesh), and west Africa (e.g., Mali, Senegal,