The July heat hit children the hardest among all age groups: Ministry of Environment

July 2024 went down in history as the hottest month on record, as confirmed by data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which informs Ministry of Environment.
According to the department, extreme heat has affected hundreds of millions of people in different parts of the world, and the average temperature in July has exceeded last year by 0.03 degrees Celsius.
WMO Secretary General Celeste Saulo emphasized that ten countries recorded daily temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius. Particularly impressive is the record set in Death Valley in California, where the average monthly temperature reached 42.5 degrees Celsius, which could become a new world record.
Europe and North America also felt the effects of this climatic phenomenon. In the Mediterranean region, heat waves have led to significant casualties and deterioration of public health. In countries such as Greece, Hungary and Slovenia, July 2024 became the hottest on record.
North America faced massive wildfires and record temperatures. In the US, about 165 million people received dangerous heat warnings, and Las Vegas recorded a new record of 43 consecutive days when the temperature exceeded 40.5 degrees Celsius.
In addition, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service recorded a new temperature record: July 21 became the hottest day on the planet in the entire history of observations, when the global average air temperature reached 17.09 degrees Celsius. Copernicus also notes that since June 2023, every month has set new temperature records.
Extreme heat had particularly serious consequences for children. According to UNICEF, nearly half a billion children live in conditions where the number of extremely hot days has doubled over the past 60 years. This creates serious threats to their health, including increasing the risks of malnutrition, infectious diseases and complications during pregnancy.
“The extreme heat of 2024 underscores the urgency of decisive action in the fight against climate change. WMO calls for improved early warning systems for heat waves and serious reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to prevent even more serious disasters in the future“, the department notes.
Ukraine also felt the consequences of this abnormal heat, which exceeded the usual temperature indicators for this season. This led to a significant burden on the energy and infrastructure systems of the country, and also exacerbated health problems among the population.