Democracy Dies in Darkness

These are the places that could become ‘unlivable’ as the Earth warms

In the hottest parts of the world, high temperatures and humidity will, for longer stretches, surpass a threshold that even young and healthy people could struggle to survive as the planet warms, study says

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October 9, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. EDT
Asghar Ali distributes a sweet drink for free to people in one of the busiest markets in Jacobabad, Sindh, Pakistan, in June. He and his family distribute this drink every day as an act of kindness in the summer months and hope that God will reward them. (Saiyna Bashir for The Washington Post)
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Heat waves can already be deadly for the most vulnerable people — but in a warming world, temperatures and humidity will, for growing stretches of every year, surpass a threshold that even young and healthy people could struggle to survive, according to new research published Monday.

Lahore, Pakistan, already an epicenter of human ills linked to climate change, could surpass that survivability threshold for two or three weeks out of the year by the middle of the century, for example, the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found. Under the most dramatic global warming scenarios, it could last for months.