Historically hottest summers projected to be the norm for more than half of the world's population within 20 years

Description

 

This study looked at the increase of global mean temperature since the 19th century and the increase in hot days occurrence. Events in the last decades showcase negative impacts on human health like directly affecting people (heat related mortality) and reducing workforce economic productivity.

The study analysed how the frequencies of such events have been changing and also assessed how it might change in the future. The results show that regions with the largest attributable temperature changes are the Mediterranean and the Sahara Region for which today’s hot summers will become the norm within the next 1-2 decades. The results also show that hot summers are now ten times more likely to occur than without anthropogenic influences (pre-industrial) due to greenhouse gases and aerosols.

 

Reference information