Climate change doubles Pregnancy Risks from Extreme Heat,New Study Finds
LOME,[Date] – A groundbreaking new study reveals that climate change is dramatically increasing the risks associated with pregnancy,especially due to extreme heat.Researchers from Climate Central found that in the past five years,climate change has at least doubled the average annual number of extreme heat days posing a risk to pregnant people in nearly 90% of countries adn territories,and 63% of cities globally [[1]].
The study,analyzing daily temperatures from 2020-2024 across 247 countries and 940 cities,measured the increase in “extreme heat days at risk for pregnancy” – defined as days exceeding 95% of typical temperatures for a given location. The findings paint a stark picture, especially for Africa, where approximately a quarter of countries (16 out of 62) experienced at least one additional high-risk day during pregnancy on average due to climate change [[1]].In fact,climate change has at least doubled the average annual number of risk days in almost all African nations (60 out of 62).Specifically, 16 African countries – including Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, and Liberia – now face 30 or more days per year with elevated pregnancy risks linked to heat compared to a world without climate change [[1]].Beyond Heat: A cascade of Risks
The study underscores that climate change’s impact on pregnancy extends beyond
