Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumStudy: Expect Lethal Wet-Bulb Heat Waves In Asia, ME To Kill Even Young, Healthy People w/i Hours
EDIT
Their previous research, published in 2015, showed the Gulf in the Middle East, the heartland of the global oil industry, will also suffer heatwaves beyond the limit of human survival if climate change is unchecked, particularly Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha and coastal cities in Iran.
The new work, published in the journal Science Advances, used carefully selected computer climate models that accurately simulate the past climate of the South Asia to conduct a high resolution analysis of the region, down to 25km.
The scientists found that under a business-as-usual scenario, where carbon emissions are not curbed, 4% of the population would suffer unsurvivable six-hour heatwaves of 35C WBT at least once between 2071-2100. The affected cities include Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and Patna in Bihar, each currently home to more than two million people.
Vast areas of South Asia covering 75% of the areas population would endure at least one heatwave of 31C WBT. This is already above the level deemed by the US National Weather Service to represent extreme danger, with its warning stating: If you dont take precautions immediately when conditions are extreme, you may become seriously ill or even die.
However, if emissions are reduced roughly in line with the global Paris climate change agreement, there would be no 35C WBT heatwaves and the population affected by the 31C WBT events falls to 55%, compared to the 15% exposed today. The analysis also showed that the dangerous 31C WBT level would be passed once every two years for 30% of the population more than 500 million people if climate change is unchecked, but for only 2% of the population if the Paris goals are met. The problem is very alarming but the intensity of the heatwaves can be reduced considerably if global society takes action, said Eltahir.
EDIT
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/02/climate-change-to-cause-humid-heatwaves-that-will-kill-even-healthy-people
FreepFryer
(7,077 posts)hueymahl
(2,510 posts)Factoring in heat, humidity and wind speed.
It is an accepted standard for measuring how the heat is actually affecting you. Kind of the difference between how 85 in San Diego can be quite comfortable but 85 in the deep south with its high humidity can be unpleasant.
hatrack
(59,592 posts)In this context, what it's talking about is that if it gets hot enough, and humid enough, cooling can't take place.
That is, even if you're sweating buckets, under the right conditions, you'll still overheat and die.
mindem
(1,580 posts)wet-bulb survivability threshold is reached when humidity hits 85 percent