Climate change may shorten human life expectancy by six months, according to a study published in the PLOS Climate journal.
Temperature changes and precipitation fluctuations, which are clear manifestations of the climate change, lead to serious public health problems.
Although such effects are noticeable and well documented, existing studies have not established a direct link between climate change and life expectancy.
To clarify this relationship, Amit Roy of the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology and the New School of Social Research (Bangladesh), estimated data on average temperature, precipitation and life expectancy in 191 countries between 1940 and 2020, using GDP per capita to account for sharp differences between countries.
The results of the study showed that an increase in global temperature by 1°C is associated with a decrease in life expectancy by an average of 0.44 years, which is approximately 5 months and 1 week.
An increase in the composite climate change index by 10 points, which takes into account both temperature and precipitation, will lead to a reduction in life expectancy by an average of 6 months. Women and residents of developing countries are particularly at risk.
The researcher expresses the hope that the composite climate change index will become a standard for global discussions of climate change and will promote cooperation and competition between countries in the fight against climate challenges.
Alex Shishlo for Rough&Polished
