In the summer of 2016, a temperature of 54°C was measured in Mitribah, Kuwait, which was one of the highest temperatures ever recorded in recent history. By mid-century, the average temperature in Kuwait is predicted to increase by 1.80°C- 2.57°C, compared to 2000-2009. By the end of the century, we could see an increase of up to 5.54°C.
Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and colleagues have published a study in Environmental Research Letters looking at the potential for heat-related deaths in Kuwait.
This is the first quantitative assessment of climate change and country-specific temperature-mortality projections in an inherently hot and hyper-arid area in the Arabian Peninsula.
Key takeaways
- There is a need for greater occupational protections for heat exposure to protect migrant workers.
- By the end of the century, climate change could increase the number of heat-related deaths by 5.1% to 11.7%. For every 100 deaths in Kuwait, 13.6 could be attributed to heat driven by climate change.
- Vulnerable people, like migrant workers, are at particularly high risk from climate-related heat impacts. Heat-related deaths could increase by more than 15% in the distant future for non-Kuwaitis.
Authors
“Climate change and health in Kuwait: temperature and mortality projections under different climatic scenarios” was authored by Barrak Alahmad, Ana Maria Vicedo-Cabrera, Kai Chen, Eric Garshick, Aaron S Bernstein, Joel Schwartz, and Petros Koutrakis. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac7601