Number of Dangerous Heat Days Increases: Risk for Pregnant Women

The climate crisis means more risks for pregnant women. Almost everywhere in the world, including Austria, the number of hot days dangerous for them is much higher than it would be without global warming, reported the non-profit US organization Climate Central.

More Risk for Pregnant Women Due to Hot Days

"Even a single day of extreme heat can increase the risk of severe pregnancy complications," said their Vice President for Science, Kristina Dahl.

Hot days that pose a higher risk for pregnant women are defined in the evaluation as those days when the maximum temperature exceeded 95 percent of the historically locally measured temperatures. Such days were associated with a higher risk of premature births, it was said.

Austria Has an Average of 27 Such Days Annually

In Austria, according to the analysis by Climate Central, there have been an average of 27 such hot days annually since 2020. To determine the extent to which human-induced global warming contributes to this, the team calculated a theoretical scenario without global warming and compared it to the actual observed number of hot days. For Austria, this means that the number of hot days has increased by 17 days per year due to climate change.

In a total of 90 percent of the 247 countries and regions studied, the number of hot days classified as dangerous from 2020 to 2024 was at least twice as high as it would be in a world without global warming, according to Climate Central. In almost a third of the areas considered, there is a whole month more of such hot days due to climate change.

Pregnant women are often affected in countries where there is also a lack of adequate healthcare - such as in the Caribbean, Central and South America, as well as Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Other Climate Impacts Also Dangerous for Pregnant Women

In addition to heat, other climate change impacts are also dangerous for pregnant women, who are a particularly vulnerable group in society, according to Climate Central. For instance, floods or other extreme weather events can lead to poorer or temporarily restricted healthcare.

(APA/Red)

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