CDP findings reveal extreme heat is the worst climate hazard for worlds cities

July 2023 was recorded as the hottest month recorded in human history, CDP finds extreme heat is the worst climate hazard for worlds cities.

July was recorded as the hottest month ever recorded in human history, fresh insights from CDP - the non-profit which runs the world’s environmental disclosure system for companies, cities, states and regions - shows that extreme heat is the most widespread climate hazard facing the world’s cities.

Studies show 80% of the 1,090 cities that reported their environmental data through CDP-ICLEI Track in 2022 said they face significant climate hazards, with more than 70% already being significantly impacted by them. Moreover, 70% of cities expect these hazards to be more intense in the future, while over half expect them to increase in frequency.

Studies show 51% of the reporting cities (557 cities) reported extreme heat as a hazard1, making it the most widely reported climate hazard facing the world’s cities. Other significant heat-related hazards reported by cities to CDP-ICLEI Track include drought (35% of cities) and the risk of wildfires (19%).

As seen in July of 2023, when the earth saw its hottest month on record - and in an estimated 120,000 years - and since then, when wildfires ravaged parts of the planet from Hawaii to Portugal to China, extreme heat is affecting every corner of the globe.

 Of cities that reported climate hazards, 81% (179 cities) in North America reported extreme heat as a climate hazard, followed by 79% (153 cities) in Europe and the UK, 58% (86 cities) in Asia Pacific, 49% (31 cities) in Africa and the Middle East, and 43% (108 cities) in Latin America. These include the Greater London Authority, Edinburgh, Bristol, Manchester and Newcastle in the UK. It is important to note, however, that the number of cities in Africa, the Middle East and certain countries in Asia - areas particularly affected by extreme heat - reporting data through CDP-ICLEI Track remains relatively low.

CDP’s analysis also examines the stark impact of extreme heat on the world’s population, finding that the elderly (reported by 88% of cities), low-income households (67%), children and youth (63%) and marginalised communities (45%) are the groups most affected by it. Meanwhile, the analysis shows that for 143 cities, almost their entire population (90-100% of a city’s population) is affected by extreme heat.

Maia Kutner, CDP Global Director for Cities, States and Regions, said: “The last few weeks have given us an uncomfortable insight into what the future holds for our planet through the lens of just one of many climate hazards, extreme heat. Fire after fire after fire devouring homes, livelihoods and nature from Hawaii to China; the single hottest month ever recorded in human history; and the warmest reported ocean temperature. All of which, in years to come, will seem unremarkable.

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