Heat Stress News and Research

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How many cities will face unlivable heat by 2100?

Researchers assessed future urban heat exposure and adaptive capacity in 1,563 major cities worldwide, using high-resolution climate projections, local climate zones, and socioeconomic indicators. By 2100, hundreds of millions may live in cities exceeding habitability thresholds, with adaptation gaps greatest in low-income regions.

24 Sep 2025

WHO and WMO report highlights extreme heat's impact on workers

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have published a new joint report and guidance highlighting the growing global health challenges posed by extreme heat on workers.

23 Aug 2025

Children face similar risk of dehydration and hyperthermia in extreme heat as adults

New research from the University of Sydney has found that children are at a similar risk of dehydration and hyperthermia in extreme heat as adults, contradicting previous advice that children are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses.

11 Jul 2025

Warming temperatures and CO2 levels threaten food quality

New preliminary research suggests that a combination of higher atmospheric CO2 and hotter temperatures contribute to a reduction in nutritional quality in food crops, with serious implications for human health and wellbeing.

9 Jul 2025

Hot tubs may offer greater health benefits than saunas

Hot tubs and saunas can both soothe aching muscles and provide welcome warmth, but hot tubs might offer greater health benefits.

26 Jun 2025

Asia Pacific malaria cases rise sharply amid funding gaps

Malaria cases in the Asia Pacific region have surged in the last few years, reaching 4.8 million in 2024 and putting the region further off track to reaching its elimination goal by 2030, a summit heard.

25 Jun 2025

Aging and extreme heat combine to raise risk of deadly infections

As we age, extreme heat causes many heat-related illnesses that can lead to serious health issues. A new study from the University of California, Irvine's Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health adds to that list.

25 Jun 2025

New study reveals how bedding insulation impacts sleep quality

The temperature of our sleeping environment has a major impact on the quality of our sleep, and good sleep is essential for our overall health and well-being.

20 Jun 2025

Wildfire smoke and heat stress impact birth outcomes in vulnerable communities

Exposure to wildfire smoke and heat stress can negatively affect birth outcomes for women, especially in climate-vulnerable neighborhoods, according to a recent study led by USC postdoctoral researcher Roxana Khalili, PhD.

19 Jun 2025

New short film sheds light on the impact of climate change on brain health

A powerful new short film, from the FutureNeuro Research Ireland Centre and RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences sheds light on the urgent need to address the impact of climate change on brain health.

19 May 2025

Extreme heat may speed up aging

Researchers determine the role of ambient outdoor heat in epigenetic aging.

5 Mar 2025

Duke and Duke-NUS collaborate to fund innovative climate health research projects

Duke University and Duke-NUS Medical School are proud to announce the recipients of their latest Research Collaboration Pilot Project grants, totalling more than S$1 million.

14 Feb 2025

Scientists discover functional role of introns in cells

Scientists have discovered that some tiny segments of RNA thought to be junk instead have a functional role in suppressing production of certain messenger RNAs and appear to help cells respond to oxidative stress.

11 Feb 2025

Earth is heating beyond human limits, scientists warn of deadly thresholds

As global temperatures rise, more regions are experiencing heat levels that exceed the human body's ability to cool itself. Scientists reveal how record-breaking heat waves are pushing past survival thresholds, making urgent climate action and adaptation critical.

5 Feb 2025

California housing officials recommend state protect renters from extreme heat

Citing the hundreds of lives lost to extreme heat each year, California state housing officials are urging lawmakers to set residential cooling standards long opposed by landlords and builders who fear such a measure would force them to make big-ticket upgrades.

5 Feb 2025

Heat exposure significantly heightens risks for maternal and newborn health

The study reveals that heat exposure increases health risks for pregnant women and their babies, impacting outcomes like preterm birth, low birth weight, and hypertensive disorders.

10 Nov 2024

Global warming nears 1.5°C threshold, escalating health risks worldwide

Record temperatures and pollution are escalating health risks worldwide. This report highlights the urgent need for integrated climate and health strategies.

5 Nov 2024

Urgent need to shift focus from fossil fuels to health

As multiple health threats from climate change break dangerous new records, the 2024 Report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change calls for the trillions of dollars spent funding fossil fuels to be redirected and used to drive a rapid and fair transition to a net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) economy, instead of harming the health of billions of people across the world.

30 Oct 2024

How a proposed federal heat rule might have saved these workers’ lives

On a sweltering afternoon in July 2020, Belinda Ramones got a call that her brother was in the hospital. The call was from a woman at the Florida landscaping business that he had joined that week, the Davey Tree Expert Co., Ramones said. By the time she arrived, she said, "My brother was swollen up from hands to toes."

28 Oct 2024