Rising temperatures are contributing to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide in an unexpected way — by reducing their physical activity.
A study published Monday in the medical journal The Lancet Global Health warns that physical inactivity increases by an average of 1.5 percentage points for every month a country experiences average temperatures above 82 degrees Fahrenheit. The largest effect is borne by low- and middle-income countries, where inactivity levels rise faster than the global average.
Based on other medical studies, the researchers estimate that around 6.5 million people die each year as a result of inactivity, which can increase the risk of heart disease, infectious disease and other life-threatening conditions. They expect that number to grow as global temperatures continue to rise.
How fast the death toll increases depends on how fast the planet warms.
