After the hottest day ever...the United Nations is sounding the alarm

ArabiaWeather - The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, warned on Thursday that humanity is facing an “epidemic of extreme heat,” calling for measures to be taken to mitigate the effects of recurring heat waves as a result of climate change.

In a statement to reporters, Guterres said:

“If there is one thing that unites our divided world, it is the growing feeling of heat. (...) Billions of people are suffering from severe and dangerous heat waves, with temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius,” he said, issuing a “call for action against extreme heat.”

The hottest days on record globally

The European Copernicus Climate Observatory noted that July 21, 22 and 23 were the hottest days on record globally, with its data showing that the average global temperature reached 17.16 degrees Celsius on July 22, 0.06 degrees Celsius higher than the previous record set on July 21.

Guterres urged world leaders to "commit to phasing out fossil fuels and switching to renewable energy sources," according to the United Nations on its website.

"Our focus now is on the impact of extreme heat, but we must not forget that there are other devastating symptoms of the climate crisis, such as more intense hurricanes, floods, droughts, forest fires, rising sea levels. The list goes on," Guterres added.

He stressed the need to confront the root cause of rising temperatures, which is dependence on fossil fuels. He pointed to a new report issued by the International Labor Organization on Thursday, warning that more than 70% of the global workforce, or 2.4 billion people, face great danger due to extreme heat.

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