Older adults face dangerous heat at much lower temperatures, study finds

A worldwide assessment led by Stanford researcher Qinqin Kong examined how heat limits differ among young adults, middle-aged people and those over 60, revealing that seniors lose the ability to keep a stable core temperature at temperatures 4.7-7.5 °C lower than younger groups. Published in The Lancet Planetary Health, the work projects that with 1.5 °C of global warming, roughly 22 % of the over-60 population—about 290 million individuals—will face at least 180 hours of uncompensable heat annually, a risk that young adults would only encounter near 4 °C of warming.

The greatest exposure is expected in tropical and subtropical regions and in Australia’s Top End and Kimberley. Climate scientists such as Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and Matt Brearley describe the findings as a wake-up call, noting that current emergency services are ill-prepared for severe heat events in major Australian cities. The authors call for age- and region-specific heat-action plans and stress that reducing greenhouse-gas emissions remains essential to limit future danger.