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Environment

Extreme heat could trigger the worst global financial crisis ever seen

Thanks to globalisation, severe heatwaves in one part of the world can cause financial losses in another. Annual losses could reach as much as $25 trillion by 2060 if we don't curb emissions, dwarfing any previous financial crisis

By James Woodford

13 March 2024

Burning rainforest in the Brazilian Amazon

DOUGLAS MAGNO/AFP via Getty Images

Without dramatic action to curb greenhouse emissions, even high-latitude countries with cooler climates will suffer devastating, if indirect, financial losses as extreme heat disrupts global supply chains. The result could be the worst financial crisis the world has ever seen.

It is already well known that severe heatwaves have numerous health and economic impacts, including higher mortality rates, preventing people from working outside, destroying crops and disrupting industrial processes. But until now, little research has been done looking at the financial impact of heatwaves…

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