Beijing, 29 Oct (Xinhua) -- According to a study released by the US journal "Science Progress" on 28 October, the heat wave exacerbated by climate change has caused the global economy to lose trillions of dollars, of which poor countries have the most serious cost, aggravating the global gap between the rich and the poor.
A child walks through an arid village in the drought-stricken town of Lesamis in Masabit County, Kenya, on 26 August. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Dong Jianghui
According to the study, extreme heat cost the global economy about $16 trillion between 1992 and 2013. Heatwaves cost the richest countries about 1.5 percent of their annual gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, while because most poorer countries are closer to the tropics, heatwaves make local temperatures warmer and more impactful, causing losses of about 6.7 percent of annual per capita GDP.
According to AFP, the damage caused by the heat wave includes reduced agricultural production, pressure on health systems, reduced labor efficiency and damaged infrastructure.
On August 7, in the county of Teleolman, Romania, a field of sunflower dried up due to drought and lack of water. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Perescu)
One of the authors of the study, Professor Justin Mankin of Dartmouth College in the United States, told AFP that the most important thing in combating climate change is to reduce carbon emissions and slow down global warming at the source. "We need to adapt to the current climate, and we need to invest more to mitigate climate change."
On August 12, a man splashes in the water at the fountain of Piazza di Spagna in Rome, Italy. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jin Ma Mengni
Many parts of the world have been hit by heat waves this summer, and the temperature has reached a record high. The World Meteorological Organization's latest update on global climate change, released in May, estimates a 50% chance of a temporary 1.5 degrees Celsius increase in global average annual temperature between 2022 and 2026 above pre-industrial levels, and that probability will increase over time. In addition, there is a 93% chance that at least one year between 2022 and 2026 will be the hottest on record. The hottest year at the moment is 2016. (Liu Xi)