Kharagpur, 24 September 2025: A new global study has warned that extreme weather events are not only becoming more frequent and intense but also affecting people very differently depending on where they live and how old they are. The research looked at how heatwaves or coldwaves can overlap with heavy rain or dry extremes - so-called compound climate extremes - and answered a crucial question: who is most exposed?

By combining detailed climate projections with demographic data, the study compared the recent past (1991–2020) with the near future (2021–2050) under various warming and population growth scenarios. Its findings highlight stark inequalities:

Key Insights from the Study:

•        Heat-related extremes concurrent with floods or droughts are projected to rise sharply worldwide
   
•        Asia and Africa are set to be the hardest hit, with children and working-age adults facing the greatest risk
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•        Sub-Saharan Africa will experience the highest youth exposure to compound extremes due to rapid population growth
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•        In Europe, North America, and Australia, it is the elderly who are most vulnerable especially to heatwaves combined with heavy rainfall. Europe, in particular, is expected to see the highest exposure levels for seniors globally, raising urgent concerns for healthcare and social care systems
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•       While cold extremes will decline in tropical regions, they are projected to increase in parts of the Americas, northern Europe, and East Asia creating the dual threat of more frequent heatwaves and persistent cold spells

·         While cold extremes will decline in tropical regions, they are projected to increase in parts of the Americas, northern Europe, and East Asia creating the dual threat of more frequent heatwaves and persistent cold spells

One of the crucial findings shows that climate change is the primary driver of rising exposure globally. Population growth further magnifies the risks in developing regions, whereas in Europe and parts of Asia, where populations are stable or declining, climate change alone accounts for most of the increase.

What sets this research apart is its age-specific lens. Unlike most climate studies that treat populations as a single group, this study disaggregates exposure across children, youth, adults, and seniors. This reveals the unequal burden of climate extremes and underscores the need for region- and age-specific adaptation strategies.

The findings highlight the urgent need for climate adaptation and resource policies that protect vulnerable groups like the young in Sub-Saharan Africa or the elderly in Europe, amid a rapidly changing climate.

The underlying paper on is featured by United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR, https://www.undrr.org/) on PreventionWeb, the knowledge sharing platform for disaster risk reduction. Link: https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/documents-and-publications/population-exposure-compound-climate-extremes-global.

Original Paper link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44304-025-00145-9