UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on world governments to take immediate action against extreme heat, which he says threatens human lives, working conditions, and the functioning of cities. Rising temperatures are further amplified by the El Niño climate phenomenon, which affects weather patterns and precipitation distribution across many parts of the world.
Guterres made his appeal in response to an updated forecast from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which predicts above-average temperatures in nearly all continental areas of the planet over the coming months.
The UN chief warned that existing temperature records, devastating wildfires, high ocean temperatures, and thousands of heat-related deaths may be merely a foretaste of even more severe climate impacts.
"The climate crisis has gone into overdrive," Guterres said.
El Niño intensifies extreme weather
El Niño is a natural climate phenomenon associated with the warming of surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Its effects, however, extend far beyond the Pacific and can influence temperatures, precipitation, droughts, floods, and the intensity of tropical storms.
According to Guterres, the Pacific waters driving El Niño are exceptionally warm and continue to rise. The WMO outlook also indicates that most continental areas of the Earth will be warmer than the long-term average through October.
The climate phenomenon affects more than just temperatures — it significantly alters precipitation patterns. India's monsoon is lagging behind its usual levels, according to the UN. Warmer and drier conditions are expected in Central America, the Caribbean, parts of South America, southern Asia, Europe, Africa, and the southwestern Pacific.
UN calls for heat action plans
Guterres called for action in four key areas. Countries should better protect their populations from the deadly effects of heat, ensure safer working conditions, adapt buildings and cities to high temperatures, and at the same time address the causes of climate change.
Every country and city should, in his view, have a health plan in place for heatwave periods, a functioning early warning system, and public health measures that reach all vulnerable groups.
Expanding access to affordable and sustainable cooling is also important. However, air conditioning and other cooling methods must be energy-efficient and accessible not only to wealthier households.
Heat threatens workers and cities
Governments and employers should, according to the UN Secretary-General, introduce clear rules for working during high temperatures. These may include adjusted working hours, more frequent breaks, access to drinking water, or suspension of work when continuing would endanger employees' health.
Workers should also not lose income simply because dangerous heat makes it impossible to safely perform their jobs.
Protection from heat should also be reflected in urban planning and the construction of homes, schools, hospitals, and other public infrastructure. Green spaces, building shading, better insulation, light-colored surfaces, and improved air circulation will become increasingly important.
Guterres criticises new fossil fuel projects
The UN chief also warned against the continued development of coal, oil, and natural gas extraction. Every new fossil fuel project, he argued, increases the risk that future heatwaves will be more dangerous and the world less safe.
"Extreme heat is not a threat of the future. It is here, it is increasingly dangerous, and without action it will be even more deadly," Guterres said.
According to him, the world can no longer wait for the next climate records to be broken — it must simultaneously protect people from the immediate effects of heat and address the root causes of global warming.
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