Overview

• A Nature Climate Change analysis estimates deforestation-driven local warming exposed more than 300 million people across the tropics and is associated with about 28,000 heat-related deaths annually.
• In areas where forests were cleared, more than one third of all heat-related deaths were attributed to the added heat from tree loss.
• Using 2001–2020 satellite records, the study linked forest-loss maps with land-surface temperature trends, population distribution and non-accidental mortality data to calculate excess deaths.
• Country-level exposure was highest in Indonesia at roughly 48 million people, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo at about 42 million and Brazil at around 21 million.
• Researchers describe the mechanism as reduced shade and evapotranspiration that dries and heats local environments and elevates fire risk, reframing forest protection as a public-health priority for vulnerable communities.