Modern science increasingly reinforces the consequences of climate change, which are becoming more and more obvious and significant for life on the planet. According to scientists, we are halfway to a critically dangerous climate change, when the temperature on Earth will increase by two degrees compared to pre-industrial levels. This will significantly change weather conditions and lead to serious consequences for the entire biosphere.
Last year, 2023, was the hottest year that ever "fell to the fate of the inhabitants of the Earth", but these are only "flowers". The worst is yet to come. In his new book, The Heat Will Kill You First, Jeff Goodell, a climate change researcher and fellow at the Atlantic Council, presents a dismal scenario of climate change that humanity will have to get used to.
Goodell also cites reports from scientists at the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. According to their findings, the heat will melt the permafrost along with bacteria from the last ice age. In the next epidemic, the animal that was looking for a cool place to live and picked up a disease-causing organism will most likely be to blame. Insects that eat crops and spread dangerous diseases will also multiply faster.
By 2100, half of the world's population will suffer from a dangerous combination of heat and humidity. In some parts of the world, the temperature can be so high that even the "strongest people" can die if they are outside for a few hours.
Goodell is convinced that a hundred years ago, people did not know that the townspeople would be killed by extreme heat waves, so they did not take this into account during construction. But old cities can be adapted to new conditions. Lay lighter asphalt, reduce the number of highways and cars, and plant more trees. For example, in India they are experimenting with green roofs - they absorb heat. Goodell believes that it is quite possible to build cities in which you can live comfortably in the heat. But it is both expensive and large-scale – changes are needed that the current government officials cannot even imagine.
Goodell reassures - in the worst-case scenario, if the Earth is uninhabitable, humanity will still survive, but our world will change. Beaches will be under water, new diseases will appear, and mosquitoes and insects will bother you all year round. People will grill lab-grown "meat" and drink wine from grapes harvested in Alaska. Snow will seem like something exotic. And entrepreneurs will make millions selling micro cooling devices.
We will remind, according to the data of the World Meteorological Organization, forecasters are currently observing an unprecedented air temperature in the entire history of observations, which reaches more than 48 °C. According to experts, this is only the beginning, new records of temperature fluctuation in Europe are predicted soon. Researchers associate the abnormal heat this year with the natural phenomenon of El Niño, which heats up the Pacific Ocean.
