'Moist heat' risk threatens health across the globe
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The news: As temperatures rise, billions of people in regions including Australia, the Americas and China will be at risk from potentially lethal "moist heat", which also threatens food, energy and water security, according to a new report.
Peer-reviewed journal PNAS re-evaluated the risks of moist heat stress after research found the benchmark temperature that could cause death during normal activities was too high, and failed to account for the increasing length, severity and incidence of heatwaves.
The numbers: The study mapped areas in the world that would be at risk of life-altering heat in differing temperature-rise scenarios from 1.5 to 4 degrees Celsius. It said continued warming above 3 and 4 degrees Celsius would cause North and South America, as well as northern Australia, to experience extended periods of dangerous heat.
The context: The world has already warmed 1.2 degrees Celsius and while the international community has committed to keeping warming below two degrees, it is not on target to achieve this goal.
What they said: "Humans will struggle to adapt to these conditions in a warmer world as they will present widespread challenges across many aspects of food–energy–water security, human health, and economic development including in the world’s most populous and most vulnerable regions."
The source: PNAS Report
