New findings show that deaths caused by global warming in the Middle East and North Africa will increase exponentially, with Iran as the most "vulnerable" country in the region.
According to the research published by The Lancet journal, currently, the number of “deaths due to global warming in the Middle East is 2·1 per 100,000 people”. However, the region “will have experienced substantial warming by the 2060s with the potential to reach the annual heat-related deaths to 123·4 per 100,000 people”.
In Iran’s case, this number is currently 11 deaths per 100,000 people, which is five times the average of the Middle East, but it will reach 423 in the next four decades.
“This death rate would be reduced by more than 80% if global warming is limited to 2°C, [but] Iran currently has the highest heat-related death rate and will experience the greatest impacts between 2021 and 2100.”
According to the report, the Middle East is one of the most vulnerable parts of the world to global warming and climate change.
The report states that the number of annual deaths due to global warming in Iran is around 1,703 people meaning six times more than that of Saudi Arabia.
The most important cause of global warming is the emission of greenhouse gases. International statistics, including those of the International Energy Agency and the Global Carbon Project, show that Iran has the highest emission of greenhouse gases in the Middle East and is ranked sixth globally.