Deforestation Linked to Over 500,000 Heat-Related Deaths in Tropics: Study

Deforestation has caused more than 5,00,000 deaths in tropical regions over the past 20 years due to heat-related illnesses, according to a new study in Nature Climate Change. The research found that land clearance in the Amazon, Congo, and Southeast Asia raised local temperatures by reducing shade, rainfall, and increasing fire risk. Between 2001 and 2020, 345 million people were exposed to this warming, with 2.6 million facing heat increases of 3°C.
 
The study attributes 28,330 annual deaths to this localised heat rise, with Southeast Asia most affected, followed by tropical Africa and Latin America. Researchers from Brazil, Ghana, and the UK linked non-accident death rates to increased temperatures in deforested areas.