Bangladesh is projected to see 24 additional deaths per 100,000 people each year due to rising temperatures, according to a new global report on climate-linked mortality published on Wednesday.
The findings place Bangladesh among the 25 most affected countries worldwide in terms of heat-related deaths by 2050.
The report, published by the Climate Impact Lab, highlights stark regional disparities within the country.
In Khulna, deaths are projected to reach 36 per 100,000 people annually, exceeding the country’s current mortality rate from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
In comparison, Dhaka is expected to see 22 additional deaths per 100,000, while Chittagong may face 12 deaths per 100,000 linked to rising temperatures.
The study underscores a widening global inequality in climate impacts, projecting that low and middle-income countries will account for more than 90% of heat-related deaths.
By mid-century, ten times more people are expected to die from heat in poorer countries than in wealthier nations, despite the former contributing far less to global emissions.
“This report uncovers one of climate change’s cruelest ironies—it is projected to kill millions of people in the countries that have generally done the least to cause it. Further, their relatively low income levels mean that they are not as well-positioned as people in rich countries to confront the new and unfolding risks from climate change,” says Michael Greenstone, a co-founder of the Climate Impact Lab and the director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth and Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.
“In this report, we’ve identified the regions around the world where climate adaptation investments can save the most lives.”
The report emphasizes that future mortality will depend not only on temperature increases but also on how effectively countries invest in adaptation measures.
Investments in air conditioning, cooling centres, urban planning, and public health interventions could significantly reduce heat-related deaths.
“The report reveals who stands to gain the most from targeted adaptation investments. The regions where increases in mortality are highest are also those with few resources, limited government capacity, and a weak history of attracting international private investment,” says Tamma Carleton, Faculty Head of Research for the Climate Impact Lab and an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
“Targeted adaptation investments could have massive impacts on who lives and who dies.”
The study is the first in a new “Adaptation Roadmap” series, which aims to identify where climate adaptation investments can deliver the greatest benefits.
It builds on more than a decade of research by the Climate Impact Lab, a global network of economists, climate scientists, data engineers and risk analysts under the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute.
Their work has previously informed the US government’s official estimates of the cost of climate change and has been used by institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, the Federal Reserve, and the United Nations Development Programme.
