If global temperatures increase by 1 degree Celsius (C) or more than current levels, each year billions of people will be exposed to heat and humidity so extreme they will be unable to naturally cool themselves, according to interdisciplinary research from the Penn State College of Health and Human Development, Purdue University College of Sciences and Purdue Institute for a Sustainable Future. Results from a new article published today (Oct. 9) in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicated that warming of the planet beyond 1.5 C above preindustrial levels will be increasingly devastating for human health across the planet.  

Climate-driven extreme heat may make parts of Earth too hot for humans. A study findings revealed that a rise of 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels would subject the 2.2 billion inhabitants of Pakistan and India’s Indus River Valley, the one billion individuals in eastern China, and the 800 million residents of sub-Saharan Africa to prolonged periods of heat exceeding human tolerance each year.