The Earth is on its way to a "catastrophic" warming.
A new study has predicted how many people will die as a result of climate change by 2100.
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry used advanced numerical modeling to estimate the death toll from air pollution and extreme temperatures, the Daily Mail reports.
Their analysis suggests that around 30 million people could die by the end of the century due to climate change and air pollution.
“In 2000, about 1.6 million people died each year due to extreme temperatures, both cold and heat,” said Dr Andrea Pozzer, the team's leader. “By the end of the century, in the most likely scenario, this figure will rise to 10.8 million, or about sevenfold. As for air pollution, the annual death toll in 2000 was about 4.1 million. By the end of the century, this figure will rise to 19.5 million, or fivefold.”
The study comes shortly after the UN warned that the Earth is on track for “catastrophic” warming of 3.1°C this century. The scientists based their calculations on projections from 2000 to 2090, analysed at 10-year intervals. Their analysis suggests that there are likely to be significant regional differences in mortality from climate change.
According to the study, South and East Asia will be hit hardest, due to ageing populations and air pollution, which still plays a significant role.
In high-income regions such as Western Europe, North America, Australasia and the Asia-Pacific region, deaths related to extreme temperatures are expected to exceed those caused by air pollution.
In some countries in regions such as the United States, England, France, Japan and New Zealand, this shift is already happening.
Experts predict that this imbalance is likely to widen, with extreme temperatures becoming a more significant health risk than air pollution also in Central and Eastern Europe (Poland and Romania) and parts of South America (Argentina and Chile) .
By 2100, temperature-related health risks are expected to outweigh air pollution-related risks for a fifth of the world's population.
The researchers hope the findings will highlight the urgent need to take action to mitigate climate change.
“Climate change is not just an environmental issue, it is a direct threat to public health,” said Dr. Pozzer.
“These findings highlight the critical importance of taking decisive action to mitigate climate change now to prevent future loss of life,” added Jean Sciare, director of the Cyprus Institute's Centre for Climate and Atmospheric Research.
The study comes shortly after the UN released its an annual report on the emissions reductions needed to limit global warming to 1.5°C. The report warns that without global mobilization at an unprecedented scale and pace, the target “will soon be dead in the water.”
The world is on track for a temperature rise of between 2.6 and 3.1°C, depending on how effectively promised climate action is implemented, according to the UN. Reacting to the report, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world was “balancing on a planetary tightrope.”
“Either leaders close the emissions gap, or we will plunge headlong into a climate catastrophe that will hurt the poorest and most vulnerable,” he said.
Recall that meteorologists have recorded a rare phenomenon “Cyclone Bomb.” The consequences have become known.
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