There's Heat and Then There's Wet Bulb 35

With today's report from the Washington Post that many of the estimates submitted to the UN have significantly understated greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 24 per cent, the Glasgow climte summit is looking like a longshot to achieve some climate breakthrough.

The target of limiting global heating to 1.5 Celsius to avert climate catastrophe may already be out of reach.

The UK Met Office has run the numbers on what may befall some nations if, as expected, the world heats to 2 C and beyond. It's not just the heat. It's the humidity, Wet Bulb 35 to be specific.  Temperatures of 35 C with saturation-level humidity is considered the absolute limit of human tolerance.

A billion people will be affected by extreme heat stress if the climate crisis raises the global temperature by just 2C, according to research released by the UK Met Office at the Cop26 climate summit.

If efforts to end the climate emergency fail and temperatures rise by 4C, half of the world’s population will suffer from this extreme heat stress.

The Cascade.

The Met Office analysis is derived from research from the EU-funded Helix project, which also maps the rising risks of river flooding, wildfires, drought and food insecurity. Virtually the entire inhabited world is affected by at least one impact.

Andy Wiltshire, at the Met Office, said: “Any one of the climate impacts presents a scary vision of the future. But, of course, severe climate change will drive many impacts, and our maps show that some regions will be affected by multiple factors.”

Tropical countries including Brazil, Ethiopia and India are hardest hit by extreme heat stress, with some parts being pushed towards the limit of human liveability.

The deadliest place on the planet for extreme future heatwaves will be the north China plain, one of the most densely populated regions in the world and the most important food-producing area in the huge nation, according to 2018 research.


Comments

  1. Northern PoVNovember 9, 2021 at 10:17 AM

    "World likely on track to warm 2.5 degrees C, U.N. report says
    A United Nations analysis released found a massive gap between countries’ long-term plans to zero out carbon emissions and the official, short-term plans they have actually submitted."

    Why? One of the reasons ...
    "Who has the most delegates at the summit? The fossil fuel industry."

    via WAPO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Disaffected LibNovember 9, 2021 at 11:09 PM

      We don't seem to be willing to do "what is required" NPoV

      Delete

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