A recent study examining the impact of rising temperatures on physical activity warns that unchecked climate change could cause hundreds of thousands of premature deaths per year by 2050. Scientists fear that the hotter weather on our planet will cripple millions of people around the world, with serious consequences for their health and overall life expectancy. , experts call on governments to create conditions for the safe movement of people even during extreme heat in the future.
- According to researchers, climate change can cause widespread health problems for people.
- In their study, scientists pointed out the significant impact of extreme heat on movement.
- Every month with an average temperature above 27.8 degrees increases global inactivity.
- By 2050, lack of activity caused by heat may kill seven hundred thousand people.
- Scientists call for more investment in shaded areas and air-conditioned spaces.
Research by scientists from South America, published in the prestigious journal The Lancet Global Health, modeled data from 156 countries from 2000 to 2022. The team sought to determine how rising temperatures affect our ability to remain physically active.
Their findings clearly reflect the dangerous threats posed by climate change. It found that each additional month of the year in which the average temperature exceeds 27.8°C increases global inactivity by around 1.5%. In low- and middle-income countries, this increase is even more significant and hovers around 1.85%. By 2050, this trend could cause up to 700,000 premature deaths per year, which will be directly linked to a lack of physical activity.
Exercising outdoors in hot weather can be life-threatening. (Illustrative photo)
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Physical inactivity is already a major global problem. Statistics indicate that around one in three adults do not meet the recommended weekly physical activity targets. The World Health Organization (WHO) is also intensively dealing with this problem, which has set itself the goal of reducing global physical inactivity by 15% by 2030. However, the authors of the study strongly warn that worsening climate change and increasingly high temperatures could threaten this intention.
Hot and humid days make it difficult for people to move around every day. People who physically work outside, commute on foot or do not have access to air-conditioned areas for exercise may have difficulties. Scientists emphasize that tropical regions, where the heat is most intense, and lower-income communities will be most affected..
The researchers therefore demand that governments invest more in building shaded zones, air-conditioned spaces and safe cycling routes, thanks to which people will be able to move actively even during the heat. “Exposure to heat causes physiological limitations due to increased cardiovascular load on the body. It is necessary to perceive physical activity as a basic human need, which is very sensitive to the climate, in order to prevent a mass transition to a sedentary lifestyle“, they concluded.
