New Delhi, July 10 -- A new United Nations report has sounded the alarm on the rapidly growing threat that extreme heat poses to the world's ageing population. Heat-related deaths among people aged 65 and above have surged by an estimated 85 per cent since the 1990s, it showed. If global temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius (degrees C), these deaths are projected to soar by a staggering 370 per cent by 2050.

The UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) Frontier report, titled The Weight of Time, was released on July 10, 2025. It highlighted the mounting vulnerability of older adults to extreme weather events, particularly in densely populated cities and low- to middle-income countries.

According to projections of heat stress on humans, comb...