PETER DU TOIT

Musings from the Southern Tip of Africa

Early warnings

May 28, 2023 | Heatwaves, Science

In this peer-reviewed paper scientists looked at 12 locations around the Mediterranean and Middle East to determine when these locations would cross the regular occurrences of 45° and then 50°C days given our current trajectory. They look at the situation at present, mid century (27 years away) and late century (77 years away)

They observe:

“As the hottest European temperatures already verge on 50 °C, the question arises whether extreme climatic conditions similar to neighbouring regions like Northern Africa are migrating into Europe. Our work provides some evidence that this may indeed be the case, at least in areas with the largest warming trends like Southern Spain. … its associated unprecedented impacts are of great importance to affected European countries.”

Some of these places will become uninhabitable as a result of the life-threatening heat.

Most of this is unavoidable given the amount of CO2 already in the atmosphere (423 ppm as of April 2023 and rising) The speed at which this arrives can of course change and is absolutely determined by our choices today.

What will the impacts be in the place you live? Do you know?

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