People Exposed to Climate Change: Oceania
December 2024 to February 2025
Temperature anomalies
- Papua New Guinea - home to more than 13.6 million people - experienced the highest average temperature anomaly across the region, 0.9°C above the 1991-2020 normal.
Top 10 Countries or Territories in Oceania with the Highest Average Temperature Anomalies
Days with unusual heat made twice as likely by climate change
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More than 17 million people across Oceania experienced daily average temperatures that were strongly influenced by climate change (defined as CSI 2 or higher) for at least one-third of the season (30 or more days).
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The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (USA), home to 45,000 people, experienced the most days with temperatures made at least twice as likely (87 days).
Top 10 Countries or Territories in Oceania with the Most Unusual Heat Added by Climate Change
Risky heat days added by climate change
Risky heat days are days with temperatures hotter than 90% of temperatures observed in a local area over the 1991-2020 period. Heat-related health risks rise when temperatures climb above this local threshold. This is a conservative approximation of the local minimum mortality temperature (MMT), an indicator of the local links between temperature and mortality based on peer-reviewed research by Tobias et al. (2021) and Gasparrini et al. (2015).
- More than 17.2 million people across the continent were exposed to at least 30 risky heat days that were added by climate change.