Pregnant women face increased risks due to climate change.

The Impact of Global Warming on Pregnant Women: A Rising Threat

Pregnant women face risks due to climate change effects - Pregnant women face increased risks due to climate change.

Let's talk about the hot topic of climate change and its effects on pregnant women. The Climate Central, a renowned U.S.-based non-profit organization, has reported a surge in risky heat days for pregnant women worldwide, including right here in Germany[3].

"Even a single day of extreme heat can elevate the risk for severe pregnancy complications," stated Kristina Dahl, Climate Central's Vice President for Science[2]. So, what exactly qualifies as a heat day that poses a higher risk? The organization defines these days as those that surpass 95% of the historically recorded temperatures in a specific area[2][4]. Such heat days have been linked to increased risks for preterm birth, among other complications.

According to Climate Central's analysis, Germany has seen an average of 22 such heat days annually since 2020. To determine the contribution of human-induced global warming, the team simulated a scenario without warming and compared it with the observed number of heat days[4]. The results reveal that the number of heat days in Germany has over doubled due to climate change from its original average of around ten days per year before significant global warming[4].

This increased heat risk is a global concern, as 90% of the 247 analyzed countries and regions experienced at least double the number of heat days that would have occurred in a world without global warming from 2020 to 2024[4]. In close to a third of the reviewed areas, climate change has added an entire month of such high-risk heat days[4].

Pregnant women in regions with insufficient healthcare infrastructure are particularly vulnerable. This includes areas such as the Caribbean, Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa[4].

Climate change doesn't just raise the heat: it's dangerous for pregnant women in various ways. These women form a vulnerable sector of society. Other harmful effects of climate change include disrupted or poor health services due to storms or other extreme weather events[4].

• Climate Change
• Global Warming
• Rising Temperature
• Pregnancy Complications
• Heat Waves
• Climate Central
• Dahl

[1] https://www.climatecentral.org/news/a-dangerous-climate-for-pregnant-women-21340[2] https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/umwelt/eros-droht-heissestaufall-gruebler-das-klimawandel-ist-gefahren-praegend-a-d4f81f18-03fc-43ef-b1da-8e4042b127b9[3] https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/klima-extremtemperaturen-sind-fuer-schwangere-belastend.1070.de.html[4] https://www.climatecentral.org/news/study-climate-change-promotes-early-births-due-to-physiological-stress-27337

1. The Climate Central's Vice President for Science, Kristina Dahl, asserted that even a single day of extreme heat can escalate the risk for severe pregnancy complications.
2. The study conducted by Climate Central reveals that the number of heat days in Germany, defined as those surpassing 95% of historically recorded temperatures, has more than doubled due to global warming.
3. The harmful effects of climate change extend beyond rising temperatures, as disrupted or poor health services due to storms or extreme weather events pose a threat to pregnant women, particularly in regions with insufficient healthcare infrastructure such as the Caribbean, Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

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