By Robert McSweeney
Up to three quarters of the world’s population could be at risk from deadly heat extremes by the end of the century, a new study suggests.
The research finds that just under a third of the global population is currently exposed to heat extremes that have resulted in deaths in the past. This will increase as global temperatures rise.
Keeping global warming to less than 2C above pre-industrial levels would limit the number at risk from potentially lethal heatwaves to around half of the global population.
But, as other scientists tell Carbon Brief, studies into heat-related deaths have a number of challenges to overcome before their findings can become widely applicable across both developed and developing regions.
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Kristie Ebi, Professor of Global Health and Director of the UW Center for Health and the Global Environment, is quoted.