New research finds that, if societies don't adapt to the dangers of extreme heat, a spike in temperature related deaths during hot summer summers will become increasingly common. The paper, which assesses the effects of hot weather on human mortality in more than 700 urban centres and smaller areas throughout the globe, was made public by Nature Communications.   In the last 20 years, this paper finds that there's been very rapid increase in risks of heat borne deaths due to extremely hot summers. It says that, without adaptation measures to cope with rising temperatures, the extraordinary levels of heat related mortality may continue to be uncommon by 2050 when world temperature rises. The authors of our findings conclude, "There is now a need for serious mitigation and adaptation measures to limit the impact on human life."  Extreme heatwaves are becoming more frequent, intense and long-lasting as the planet warms. Carbon Brief analyses indicate that, at a certain point in the last decade, around half of the world's people have seen alltime high temperatures for their location. The extreme heat is deadly. The number of "heat related" deaths, where exposure to heat causes or significantly contributes to death is usually higher in hot weather.  Heat can cause direct effects such as a heat stroke and tiredness in humans, for example. Those with underlying health conditions can suffer fatal complications due to the additional stress on their bodies. More than 61,000 people died as a result of searing heat across Europe in the summer of 2022. In addition, a recent study has shown that climate change is associated with more than one third of all heat related deaths recorded between 1991 and 2018. More about Weather