Effects of Climate Change on Thermoregulation and Heatstroke

Climate change and heat-related illnesses

Global warming and heat waves are now a well accepted feature of climate change. Scientific predictions for Europe, for example, show significant increases in heat wave frequency for almost all regions between the first and second halves of the 21^st century, even under a moderate greenhouse gas emission stabilisation scenario (RCP4.5), and very large frequency increases under a low emission stabilisation scenario (RCP8.5):

In the case of a 2^oC rise in global temperature by the end of the 21^st century, scientific predictions indicate a 370% increase in annual heat-related deaths, with heat exposure expected to increase the hours of potential labour lost globally by 50%.