- The report shows that Nairobi and Mombasa were strongly impacted by climate change-driven temperatures
- The two cities faced 83 and 59 days, respectively, at Climate Shift Index 5 or higher
Image: FILE
More than 14.3 million Kenyans, experienced at least 60 days with high temperatures due to climate change.
A report by Climate Central shows that burning fossil fuels, such as oil, gas and coal and human activities, increased temperatures every day in June, July and August.
Climate Central is a non-advocacy, non-profit science and news organisation providing information about climate and energy.
The new analysis conducted by researchers used the Climate Shift Index, a metric that quantifies the influence of climate change on global temperatures.
The report, which is set to be released on Wednesday, shows that Nairobi and Mombasa were strongly impacted by climate change-driven temperatures.
The two cities faced 83 and 59 days, respectively, at Climate Shift Index 5 or higher.
This means that climate change made temperatures at least five times more likely on those days.
To estimate the risks of heat to human health, researchers looked at days in which temperatures were much hotter than the historical record — the “risky heat” days.
Risky heat days are hotter than 90 per cent of temperatures observed in a local area over the 1991-2020 period.
Heat-related health risks rise when temperatures climb above this local threshold.
The analysis also details exposure to climate change-influenced heat at the city level, with detailed information for more than 1,250 cities.
Between June and August, 2 billion people globally were exposed to more than 30 days of health-threatening temperatures strongly influenced by climate change.
One in four people experienced climate change-driven temperatures every day in the same period.
Additionally, 72 countries experienced their hottest summer since 1970, significantly driven by climate change.
Some 180 cities in the Northern Hemisphere experienced at least one extreme heatwave from June to August.
These heatwaves are, on average, 21 times more likely today because of carbon pollution, mainly caused by burning coal, oil and gas.
“High temperatures that were influenced by climate change jeopardised the health of billions around the world during the past three months,” Andrew Pershing, vice president for science at Climate Central, said.
“No region, country, or city is safe from the deadly threats posed by burning fossil fuels.”
The report shows that more than 4 billion people globally faced unusual temperatures made at least three times more likely by climate change on August 13, the peak of the global heat.
During this record-breaking season, few urban areas escaped the impacts of carbon pollution, mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
The average person experienced 17 extra days of “risky heat” around the world because of climate change, representing a potential risk to global health.
The report shows that extreme heat is a growing health risk in the warming climate.
In 2023, a record 2,325 people died from heat in the US alone.
“Extreme heat is among the deadliest weather-related hazards globally, but under-reporting in many regions limits understanding of the full scale of heat-related health impacts.”
Africa was significantly affected by climate change-driven temperatures in June, July and August, with millions of people exposed to dangerous temperature levels.
“Across the continent, over 481 million people were exposed to at least 60 days of temperatures at CSI levels 5 or higher. This means that climate change made temperatures on those days at least five times more likely.”
The most affected regions, including Northern, Eastern, Western and Middle Africa, saw a high number of days with temperatures above normal.
This saw the average person experience between 49 and 58 days with temperatures made at least three times more likely because of climate change.
In Southern Africa, people endured 18 such days.