Climate Change Poses Health Dangers for Over 2 Billion in India and the Indus Valley
Climate change and its associated extreme weather events are increasingly prevalent, with heat waves intensifying in frequency and severity. A new study has raised concerns about the health risks posed to billions of people because of these changes.
Assessing the Heat and Humidity Threshold
This research, conducted by the Penn State College of Health and Human Development, Purdue University College of Sciences, and Purdue Institute for a Sustainable Future, offers an alarming prognosis.
The study, published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,” suggests that global temperatures are on track to rise by an additional 1–6 °C by the year 2100.
Pushing the Limits of Human Endurance
Building upon earlier work by climatologists, this study explores the critical point at which heat and humidity intersect, pushing the human body beyond its natural limits. It is a point where survival becomes challenging without access to shade or technologies like air conditioning.
Deadly Heat in Urban Areas
The consequences of this climatic shift are dire. Researchers predict that a substantial portion of the global population will grapple with the challenges of enduring deadly and humid heat within this century. This particularly affects some of the world’s most populous urban centers, ranging from Delhi to Shanghai.
Global Warming, A Looming Threat for Millions
The study highlights that if temperatures increase by 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, approximately 750 million individuals could potentially experience one week per year of perilously humid heat conditions.
While India, Pakistan, and parts of the Gulf region have already witnessed brief encounters with dangerous humidity in recent years, this study indicates that it could afflict major cities far beyond these regions. Locations as diverse as Lagos, Nigeria, and Chicago, Illinois, may fall prey to this hazardous trend if global temperatures continue to rise.
Climate Change Expanding Threats Across Borders
The impact of rising temperatures is not confined to a single region. As the study emphasizes, the implications extend beyond eastern Pakistan and the Indus River Valley in northern India under scenarios with 1.5 °C and 2 °C warming.
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The threat amplifies considerably in worlds that warm by 3 °C and 4 °C, with a substantial accumulation of annual hot-hours extending along the Indian coast of the Bay of Bengal.
Additionally, countries such as Bangladesh and parts of Myanmar face increased risks, emphasizing the urgent need for global climate action to mitigate these potentially catastrophic consequences
