In 2050, the number of hot days will be twice as many as today

Older people are more susceptible to overheating. Cardiovascular diseases are also exacerbated by exposure to heat.

Extreme heat stress will cause health problems for up to 250 million more people over 69 years of age in 2050 than today, reports climate economist Giacomo Falcetta from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg (Lower Austria). This is due to rising temperatures due to global warming and an aging population. The study was published in the scientific journal Nature Communications Made in general.

In addition, common health problems such as cardiovascular disease are exacerbated by exposure to heat, Falcheta and his colleagues wrote in the publication. However, in 2050, on the global average, you will have to experience twice as many hot days over 37.5°C than today, i.e. twenty instead of ten. In addition, not only the temperature is rising, but also the number of elderly people.

“The world's population is aging at an unprecedented rate. The number of people over the age of 60 is expected to nearly double by the middle of the 21st century,” the researchers say, from 1.1 billion in 2021 to nearly 2.1 billion in 2050. They explain that Aging populations and increasing heat stress would create “significant additional need for social and health services.”