Global consequences Trump's climate policy could cause over a million additional heat-related deaths
Donald Trump's return to fossil fuel policies is not just having a national impact - according to new calculations, up to 1.3 million people worldwide could die as a result of extreme heat.
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- Trump's climate policy could cause up to 1.3 million additional heat-related deaths worldwide by 2115, according to the Guardian.
- Poor, hot regions outside the USA, which have hardly contributed to the climate crisis themselves, would be particularly affected.
- Since his return to office, Trump has rolled back key climate protection measures.
The climate policy of the US government under Donald Trump is likely to have serious consequences worldwide - especially for people in already poor and hot regions.
According to calculations by ProPublica and the Guardian, which are based on independent climate models, the additional emissions caused by Trump's climate policy over the next ten years could result in 1.3 million more heat-related deaths by 2115. The majority of these deaths are expected to occur outside the US - in countries that have contributed little to the climate crisis.
Heat-related deaths are already on the rise
Extreme heat affects the most vulnerable: people without air conditioning, the elderly, children and outdoor workers. Heat-related deaths are already on the rise worldwide, including in the USA.
The estimate only takes into account direct deaths caused by heat - such as heat stroke or the aggravation of existing illnesses. Lives saved by less cold are deducted. It also does not include the far greater number of deaths caused indirectly by the climate crisis, such as droughts, floods, conflicts, mosquito-borne diseases, hurricanes, forest fires or crop failures.
In 2023, the USA was still on course to significantly reduce its emissions. However, since his return to office, Trump has reversed key climate protection measures aimed at expanding fossil fuels and restricting measures to reduce emissions. The USA has also withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement for the second time.
