Nearly half a million people could die from extreme heat in the next six months. They are mothers, fathers, grandparents, and children. Many of them live in places with no air conditioning, no reliable water, and no hospital close enough to save them.
Sign the petition urging world leaders at COP31 to fund emergency heat protection for the countries facing the deadliest heat, before it's too late.A powerful "super" El Niño is pushing temperatures to dangerous levels around the globe. Researchers at the University of Chicago's Climate Impact Lab project that this extra heat could cause more than 450,000 additional deaths over the next six months. That is on top of the lives already being lost to temperatures driven up by the climate crisis.
During this El Niño, land temperatures around the world could run about 1.2 degrees Celsius hotter than in a typical year. Extremely hot days could come
44 percent more often.
The heaviest toll will fall on the countries with the fewest resources to cope. Nigeria, Indonesia, Sudan, India, and Brazil are expected to be hit hardest. Africa's Sahel region alone could see nearly 67,000 extra deaths. Even the United States is projected to lose around 3,500 people.
These numbers only count the heat itself.
They don't include the people who may die in the droughts, wildfires, and floods that El Niño often brings -- or from the food and water scarcity that will likely follow.Many of these deaths can still be prevented. Scientists estimated the danger region by region, so we know where help is needed most. Simple, proven tools save lives in extreme heat. Early warnings let families prepare. Cooling centers give people a safe place to shelter. Extra doctors and nurses keep hospitals from being overwhelmed. Protections for outdoor workers keep people from collapsing on the job.
Wealthier countries generally have these protections.
The countries facing the worst of this heat often don't. The danger won't pass quickly either, because heat deaths are expected to stay high until the middle of next year.
World leaders will meet in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20 for COP31. They must use that moment to launch emergency funding that gets heat protection to the hardest-hit nations now, not after the death toll is counted.
Sign the petition and tell world leaders at COP31 to fund emergency heat protection before hundreds of thousands more lives are lost! 