Warming up to kill

140,000 excess deaths due to global warming in 2004

70,000 excess deaths recorded in Europe in the heat wave of summer 2003. Extreme high temperatures can cause deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, particularly among the elderly

1.2 million deaths every year is caused by urban air pollution. High temperatures also raise levels of ozone and other pollutants in the air that exacerbate cardiovascular and respiratory diseases

300 million people are affected by asthma. This number is likely to increase as pollen and allergens that trigger it increase during extreme heat

60,000: Number of people who die every year in weather-related natural disasters, mainly in developing countries. This is thrice the number of such deaths in the 1960s

50 per cent: Likely decrease in production of staple foods due to rising temperatures and changing rainfall pattern in some African countries

2 billion more people would be exposed to dengue by 2080 due to climate change

2.2 million people die of communicable diseases like diarrhoea every year. Their numbers will increase with increase in migration caused by climate change. More than half the world's population lives within 60 km of the sea and may have to migrate

Source: World Health Organization