A new online tool for assessing local climate heating and heat-related mortality associated with tropical deforestation

Abstract

Tropical deforestation causes local warming resulting in elevated human heat stress and a potential human health risk. Analysis of satellite data shows tropical deforestation during 2001–2020 exposed 345 million people to a population-weighted daytime land surface warming of 0.27 °C that is associated with 28,000 (95% confidence interval: 23,610–33,560) heat-related deaths per year. Despite this important impact on public health, limited information is available at the local level on the scale and magnitude of deforestation-induced warming or the potential human healh impacts. Here we present a new interactive online tool that provides local-level information to stakeholders across the tropics on deforestation-induced warming and associated health impacts. In regions of forest loss, local warming from deforestation could account for over one third of total climate heat-related mortality, highlighting the important contribution of tropical deforestation to ongoing warming and heat-related health risks within the context of climate change. Our work provides locally-relevant information to inform stakeholders on the local climate and public health impacts of tropical deforestation.