A study released this Monday raises the alarm about the deadly risks of climate change for older populations. When global temperatures rise by 1,5°C compared to the pre-industrial era, 22% of people over 60 will face unbearable heat. This overheating makes it impossible for the human body to regulate its temperature, even at rest and in the shade. This critical threshold is expected to be crossed around 2030, exposing 290 million seniors to potentially fatal heat waves.
Increased vulnerability with age
Thermoregulation abilities decline with age, making this population group particularly vulnerable to extreme heat waves. The Earth's atmosphere, whose greenhouse gases maintain the average temperature at 14°C instead of -18°C, has seen its composition drastically altered since the 19th century by human activities. This increasing accumulation of greenhouse gases is accelerating global warming.
The strategies deployed at the French, European, and international levels aim to keep warming below 2°C, an objective enshrined in international climate commitments for several years. The new study reiterates that even the less ambitious threshold of 1,5°C, if reached in four years, will have massive health consequences for the most vulnerable generations. The number of elderly people affected could rise even further if greenhouse gas emissions are not drastically reduced in the coming years.
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