Heat is the leading cause of climate-related death, and the report further points to the role of global warming in increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather around the world.For this study, scientists used the years 1991 to 2020 to determine what temperatures counted as within the top 10 percent for each country over that period.
2023 was the hottest year on record, according to Copernicus, the European Union's climate monitor.Already this year, extreme heat waves have afflicted swathes of the globe, from Mexico to Pakistan.The report said that in the last 12 months, some 6.3 billion people — roughly 80 percent of the global population — experienced at least 31 days of what is classed as extreme heat.In total, 76 extreme heat waves were registered in 90 different countries on every continent except Antarctica.