Secretary-General's call for action against extreme heat

Crippling heat reigns everywhere. Billions of people around the world are languishing under increasingly intense heat waves caused largely by the climate crisis fueled by human activity fueled by fossil fuels. More than 70 percent of the world's workforce - 2.4 billion people - are currently at high risk of extreme heat. The most vulnerable communities are affected the most.

In response to the rapid increase in the scale, intensity, frequency and duration of extreme heat, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on 25 July 2024 for accelerated and concerted efforts to strengthen international cooperation to address extreme heat in four critical areas:

Caring for the vulnerable - Protecting workers - Strengthening the resilience of economies and societies with data and science - Limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C by phasing out fossil fuels and increasing investment in renewable energy.

The UN Secretary-General's Call to Action on Extreme Heat brings together the diverse expertise and perspectives of ten specialized UN entities (FAO, ILO, OCHA, UNDRR, UNEP, UNESCO, UN-Habitat, UNICEF, WHO, WMO) in a first-of-its-kind joint product that underlines the multi-sector impacts of extreme heat.

(More on www.un.org)