2 billion people are at risk from a 2 degree Celsius rise in temperature

According to new research published in the journal Nature Sustainability, about 2 billion people (23% of the world’s population) will live in dangerously hot conditions by the end of this century if climate policies continue on their current trajectory.

According to the study, some 3.3 billion people could face extreme temperatures by the end of this century if global warming is more severe.

The study, conducted by scientists at the UK’s University of Exeter and Nanjing University in China, found that 60 million people had been exposed to the “dangerous temperature” – at an average of 29 degrees Celsius or higher.

The study found that limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius below the Paris agreement target of pre-industrial levels would still expose 400 million people to dangerously high temperatures by the end of the year. end of this century.

People living in India, Sudan and Nigeria will all be hit hard even though the global temperature increase is only 1.5 degrees. However, a global warming of 2.7 degrees will have a big impact on other countries, including the Philippines and Pakistan.

Lead author of the study Tim Lenton, Director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter said: “It’s a reshaping of the habitability of the planet’s surface and could lead to a large-scale reorganization of where humans live.”

To date, warming below 1.2 degrees Celsius has amplified the intensity or duration of heat waves, droughts and wildfires. The past eight years have been the hottest on record.

Researcher Tim Lenton said: “For every 0.1 degrees Celsius of warming above current levels, about 140 million more people will be exposed to dangerous temperatures.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), extreme heat can lead to a range of illnesses and deaths, including heatstroke and hyperthermia. Temperature extremes also exacerbate indirect impacts on disease transmission, air quality and critical infrastructure.

The elderly, infants and children, pregnant women, manual and outdoor workers, athletes and the poor… are particularly vulnerable to higher temperatures. .

Source: DW