A study on climate change warned that the continuous emission of greenhouse gases would eventually cause global temperatures to reach levels that are not suitable for humans. The study predicted that by 2070, almost half of the global population will experience extremely hot climate conditions.
The new study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. It focused on the changes in the climate niche in which humans have lived in for about 6,000 years.
Increasing Global Temperatures
According to the authors of the study, continuous emissions of greenhouse gas are affecting the climate niche and causing the global temperature to rise. As the temperature continues to rise, it will eventually reach a point that would turn most regions on Earth almost unlivable.
The researchers predicted that this could happen sometime in 2070. They estimated that about 3 billion people in the world would be forced to live in extremely hot environments.
Areas Affected By Temperature Rise
Currently, about 0.8% of global land surface experience extremely hot climate. These areas can be found in the hottest parts of the Sahara Desert. However, if greenhouse gas emissions are left unchecked, the number of areas with extremely hot climate conditions will reach 19% by 2070.
As noted by the researchers, these areas would include northern Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, parts of Australia and northern South America. The researchers stated that temperatures in these areas would rise to levels that are unsuitable for humans.
"Large areas of the planet would heat to barely survivable levels and they wouldn't cool down again," Marten Scheffer of Wageningen University in the Netherlands and co-author of the study said according to USA Today. "Not only would this have devastating direct effects, it leaves societies less able to cope with future crises like new pandemics. The only thing that can stop this happening is a rapid cut in carbon emissions."
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Fortunately, the researchers noted that the rise in global temperatures can still be curbed. If rapid and drastic solutions to cut greenhouse gas emissions are carried out today, only about half of the projected number of people will be subjected to extreme climate conditions.
