Heat is currently a climate risk, not only a future risk, according to gavi.org. The organization also noted that greenhouse gases have raised the baseline, so heatwaves now begin from a warmer starting point. Gavi.org explained that El Niño is a natural warming of part of the tropical Pacific that can shift weather patterns around the world, and while El Niño is not the cause of climate change, it can add another push to global temperatures and regional extremes when it occurs in a climate already warmed by greenhouse‑gas pollution.

Heat does not affect everyone equally, bluesky reported. The most vulnerable groups to heat include outdoor workers, older adults, unhoused people, and people with chronic illness, bluesky added. These vulnerable groups often face danger well before official alert thresholds are reached, bluesky noted.

Heatwaves can damage hearts, kidneys, lungs and infrastructure, gavi.org reported.

The combined observations underscore that heat impacts vary across populations and can have serious health and infrastructural consequences.