According to a new analysis from BBC, the number of extremely hot days every year has doubled since the 1980s, likely due to climate change. The extreme temperature is also occurring in more areas of the world than before, presenting unprecedented challenges to human health and possibly contributing to the rise in natural disasters. The total number of average days above 50C (122F) has increased each decade since 1980, according to the analysis. Between 1980 and 2009, temperatures rose past 50C roughly 14 days per year.
However, these figures rose to 26 days between 2010 and 2019. Within the same period, temperatures of 45C and above occurred an additional two weeks per year. Dr. Friederike Otto, associate director of the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford, stated that the increase can be attributed almost entirely to the burning of fossil fuels, which is known to harm the atmosphere. As the whole world continues to warm, extreme temperatures and natural disasters will become more frequent and cause damage to infrastructure, drought, loss of life, damage to power systems, roads, and buildings. Temperatures of 50C and above typically occur in the Middle East and Gulf regions, however, this summer Italy saw temperatures of 48.8C, and Canada experienced temperatures of 49.6C.
Read More: World now sees twice as many days over 50C
