Researchers report that more severe heat waves resulting from global warming have already cost the world economy trillions of dollars since the early 1990s — with the world’s poorest and lowest carbon-emitting nations suffering the most. The researchers used newly available, in-depth economic data for regions worldwide to find that from 1992-2013, heat waves statistically coincided with variations in economic growth and that an estimated $16 trillion was lost to the effects of high temperatures on human health, productivity and agricultural output. The findings stress the immediate need for policies and technologies that protect people during the hottest days of the year, particularly in the world’s warmest, most economically vulnerable nations.
