Hot spots will triple by the end of the century

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Last year the global temperature increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius was exceeded for the first time. An increase in the limit by two degrees Celsius is now expected, which will already have far-reaching consequences. A global temperature increase of another half degree Celsius means that the number of places too hot for life will triple. These are places where temperatures are so high that they are life-threatening even for a healthy person. In total this area will cover an area of ​​approximately 10 million square kilometers.

For people over sixty years of age, the zone where high temperatures prevail will cover a third of the Earth's landmass. Currently these places occupy 21 percent of the land area. Most certainly, humanity will have to prepare for this fact as soon as possible. This is a milder scenario related to global warming and its consequences are now inevitable.

Scientists believe that if the average global temperature on Earth were to increase by four degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels 40 percent of the land would become too hot for life. This would mean that only high altitude locations and cooler mid-latitude regions would remain unaffected.

A healthy person is able to cope with high temperatures but there is also uncompensable heat that flows into the body to such an extent that the internal temperature stabilization mechanisms cannot keep up. This problem is faced by people exposed to relatively extreme conditions including firefighters and athletes but increasingly also people living in the equatorial region who are exposed to extreme heat waves.

Very high temperatures are becoming a threat to all people living in the tropics which are home to forty percent of the world's population. Evidence suggests that we will need to limit global warming by switching to renewable energy sources and protecting important carbon stocks to avoid the worst of these predictions. If we continue to dump fossil fuels and destroy ecosystems that absorb atmospheric carbon, thereby accelerating global warming we will not flatten the curve enough to reach the two degree Celsius goal.

Source:Sciencealert