REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Rising global temperatures have meant an onslaught of dangerous heat waves for much of the world during the last decade. As climate change continues to wreak havoc, there is no end in sight—and could even get worse. A new study now shows us which parts of the world might experience the most scorching outcomes thanks to record-breaking heat waves in the future.
The new paper, published Tuesday in Nature Communications, spells bad news for people living in Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, and Central America. Extreme heat waves are also expected to bludgeon Central Europe, far Eastern Russia, northwestern Argentina, Australia (particularly in Queensland), and the areas around Beijing in China (though these areas are not expected to face as much devastation as the former three).
To be clear, this new study isn’t saying these will be the hottest parts of the world, or are even the most likely to be struck by a record-breaking heatwave. But they are the parts of the world that are the most underprepared for heatwaves, in part because they have yet to really experience such high summer temperatures and are, therefore, less tested. Some of the other factors that went into this study’s assessment of vulnerable communities included growing populations, limited health care, and energy provisions.