This could become the deadliest place on the planet if this phenomenon is not prevented.
China’s North China Plain region will become uninhabitable in the future if climate change is left unchecked, according to a new study.
The North China Plain, one of the world’s most densely populated regions, will be the deadliest place on the planet from extreme heat , according to a study published in the Guardian newspaper.
It is also China’s most important food production area.
People in China avoid the heat at a swimming pool in Shandong province.
New scientific research shows that future deadly heatwaves will hit the region repeatedly into the late 21st century due to climate change.
“This will be the hottest spot due to deadly heat waves in the future,” said Professor Elfatih Eltahir, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, who led the study, said.
These projections for the North China Plain are particularly worrisome because of the 400 million people living in the region, many are farmers and do not have many career choices.
“China is currently the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, with potentially serious impacts on its own population,” the professor said. “Current global emissions, if continued, could limit the habitability of the most populous region of the Earth’s most populous country.”
New research assesses the effects of climate change based on a deadly combination of temperature and humidity, known as wet temperature (WBT).
When WBT reaches 35 degrees Celsius, the air is so hot and humid that the human body cannot cool itself by sweating and even healthy people sitting in the shade can die in 6 hours.
WBT above 31 degrees Celsius is classified by the US National Weather Service as “extremely hazardous” , with a warning stating: “If you do not take immediate precautions, you could become seriously ill or even death.”
Fatal WBT levels of 35 degrees Celsius will hit the North China Plain continuously from 2070 to 2100, unless carbon emissions are cut, according to new research.
In Shanghai, for example, WBT would likely exceed the fatal threshold about five times, and “extremely dangerous” WBT would occur hundreds of times.
Signs of the future have begun to appear. The study found a significant increase in extreme heat in the delta over the past 50 years.
In 2013, a severe heatwave in the region lasted 50 days, during which temperatures in Shanghai broke a 141-year record.