A new study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences warns that if global temperature rise by 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, about 2.2 billion people living in the Indus River Valley in northern India and eastern Pakistan may face prolonged periods of heat exceeding human tolerance.
The research indicates that regions including northern India, eastern Pakistan, eastern China, and Sub-Saharan Africa will experience high-humidity heatwaves, which are even more dangerous due to reduced evaporative cooling capabilities.
These areas are primarily home to lower-to-middle-income countries, where many individuals lack access to air conditioning or effective means to combat the health risks associated with extreme heat.
Beyond specific thresholds of heat and humidity, individuals become susceptible to heat-related health issues, including heatstrokes and heart attacks. Climate change-driven temperature increases could push billions of people beyond these limits.
Global surface temperatures have already risen by around 1.15 degrees Celsius, largely due to carbon dioxide emissions from industrialized nations. The Paris Agreement aimed to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, but current projections suggest an increase of around 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
To avoid catastrophic effects, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emphasizes the need to halve emissions by 2030 compared to 2019 levels to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Recent months, including June, July, August, and September, have been recorded as the hottest on record, and 2023 is on track to be the warmest year ever.
The study’s modelling considered temperature increases from 1.5 to 4 degrees Celsius, identifying regions where warming could lead to heat and humidity levels surpassing human tolerance.
The ambient wet-bulb temperature limit for healthy individuals is estimated to be around 31 degrees Celsius. However, the threshold for any person depends on factors like physical exertion and environmental conditions.
Areas like the Eastern Seaboard and the middle of the United States, including regions from Florida to New York and from Houston to Chicago, could experience extreme heat and humidity if warming reaches 3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The study underscores the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, particularly from fossil fuel combustion, to prevent regions from becoming uninhabitable due to extreme heat and humidity. Low and middle-income countries are likely to be the most severely impacted.
Read Now:Cricket Set for Glorious Return to Olympics in 2028: ICC Delighted
