New York, Aug 20 (TIWN) Immediate and urgent globally coordinated efforts to mitigate climate change and increase resilience to extreme heat to limit additional warming can help save lives, say researchers.

Extreme heat is an increasingly common occurrence worldwide, with heat-related deaths and illnesses also expected to rise.  Reducing the health impacts of extreme heat is an urgent priority and should include immediate changes to infrastructure, urban environment, and individual behaviour to prevent heat-related deaths, said researchers in a new two-paper Series on Heat and Health, published in The Lancet. 

"Two strategic approaches are needed to combat extreme heat. One is climate change mitigation to reduce carbon emissions and alter the further warming of the planet. The other is identifying timely and effective prevention and response measures, particularly for low-resource settings," said Kristie Ebi, Professor at the University of Washington, US.