The past year marked the warmest period Earth has ever recorded. High temperatures show few signs of decreasing, with 2025 starting as the hottest on record. According to fresh research from Climate Central and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, climate change has impacted 195 nations and regions. For instance, Munshiganj in Southwest Bangladesh endured a significant heat event in April 2024. Even with the most favorable forecasts, similar occurrences are expected to happen more frequently, averaging once every six years.

Despite the undeniable urgency for immediate measures to counter the increasing danger from rising temperatures, humanity has remained inactive. To prevent fatalities, investment, research, and practical solutions aimed at mitigating the risks of extreme heat must be significantly increased. Regions such as Southwest Asia, South Asia, and Eastern China are particularly susceptible to extreme heat.

Extreme heat is quantified using “wet-bulb temperatures,” which integrate both temperature and humidity. In these areas, wet-bulb temperatures could hit 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) if global climate change isn’t adequately addressed. Should these conditions persist, even the healthiest individuals would be unable to cool themselves via sweating at this temperature.

Forecasts suggest that by the year 2100, up to 70% of the populations in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh might experience these intense conditions. This situation presents serious health hazards, particularly for older adults, outdoor workers, and agricultural sector employees.

The potential consequences are alarming. Regions surrounding the are on the frontline of an emergency, with human risks escalating dramatically in these densely populated zones that have scarce access to cooling technologies. For millions of people, relief from the heat is not merely a matter of switching on a fan or air conditioner. Frequent power outages, water shortages, and financial constraints remove these possibilities.

Existing models predict that South Asia will endure heatwaves far exceeding human tolerance levels, thereby straining public health infrastructures to their limits and instigating climate migration. Further analysis indicates that heatwaves in western Bangladesh will intensify and occur more often under a “business-as-usual” approach, surpassing the extreme danger benchmark rarely seen in today’s climate.

Urban areas with lower incomes face the highest vulnerability. Characterized by tightly packed housing built from heat-absorbing materials, insufficient access to cooling systems, and scarce tree canopy or green spaces, these neighborhoods consistently register temperatures several degrees higher than more affluent districts, leading to disproportionate impacts.

A proposed solution involves providing communities on the front lines with up-to-date climate forecasts derived from advanced models that detail unfolding climate events like lethal heatwaves and devastating cyclones.

The Jameel-Observatory Climate Resilience Early Warning System (JO-CREWSnet)—a joint initiative by Community Jameel and MIT—utilizes its projections to assess human systems, pinpoint high-risk zones, and formulate and test successful strategies. These strategies are then disseminated to villages in Southwestern Bangladesh and shared nationally. Within southwestern Bangladesh, JO-CREWSnet is exploring pioneering approaches like the Adaptation Fortress concept. This involves developing new shelter designs, outfitted with contemporary cooling systems and solar power, to safeguard the local populace from both cyclones and heatwaves.

Scientific findings are unequivocal, and the consequences are severe. Policymakers must confront extreme heat with the required urgency, putting in place adaptive strategies like green infrastructure, urban and rural cooling initiatives, and improved building codes.

However, adaptation by itself will not be enough. Without vigorous efforts to reduce carbon emissions, we are rapidly heading towards a future where vast portions of the planet could encounter exceedingly perilous circumstances.