New research findings suggest that a global warming of more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels will be increasingly devastating to human health across the planet.
Humans can only tolerate certain combinations of heat and humidity before their bodies begin to experience heat-related health problems, such as heat stroke or a heart attack. As climate change raises temperatures around the world, billions could be pushed beyond these limits.
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when humans began burning fossil fuels in machines and factories, temperatures around the world have risen by about 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit). In 2015, 196 countries signed the Paris Agreement which aims to limit temperature rises worldwide to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
An interdisciplinary research team from the Penn State College of Health and Human Development, Purdue University College of Science and the Purdue Institute for a Sustainable Future developed a model that maps global temperature increases of between 1.5°C and 4°C — the worst-case scenario where warming begins to accelerate — to identify areas of the planet where Warming may lead to temperature and humidity levels exceeding human limits.
These terrifying heat maps reveal which countries could soon become too hot to live in if global temperatures rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).
Researchers say that about 2.2 billion people in Pakistan and the Indus River Valley in India, a billion people in eastern China, and 800 million people in sub-Saharan Africa will be among those facing heat beyond human endurance.
This could extend to the eastern and central parts of the United States if temperatures on Earth rise 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.
Residents will have to endure heatwaves and high humidity if global warming is not curbed. These can be particularly dangerous because they mean that the air cannot absorb excess moisture, which in turn limits the amount of sweat that evaporates from the human body.
What is particularly worrying is that many of the worst-affected areas are in low- to middle-income countries that likely do not have access to air conditioning, the researchers said.
Residents in Florida, New York, Houston and Chicago will have to endure dangerous and stifling levels of humidity, while extreme heat could wreak havoc among those living in parts of South America and Australia, according to the new study.
In a worst-case scenario of a 4°C (7.2°F) rise in global temperatures, Yemen's coastal city of Hodeidah - home to more than 700,000 people on the Red Sea - would be nearly uninhabitable.
This is because residents will have to endure temperatures beyond human tolerance limits for 300 days a year.
“When people get hotter, they sweat, and more blood is pumped to the skin so they can maintain core temperatures by losing heat to the environment,” said Larry Kinney, co-author of the study. “At certain levels of heat and humidity, they will no longer "These adjustments are sufficient, and the body's core temperature begins to rise. This is not an immediate threat, but requires some form of relief."
He continued: "If people do not find a way to cool down within hours, it could lead to heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and stress on the cardiovascular system that can lead to heart attacks in frail people."
In human history, temperatures and humidity exceeding human limits have only been recorded a few times, and for only a few hours, and this happened in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
The study results were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The Russians are developing types of carbon nanostructures with a new structure
Physicists from Russia and China have achieved a breakthrough in creating new forms of nanoscale carbon.
Their scientific research has led to the development of quantum dots with unique 2D and 3D properties. This invention can be used to develop innovative nanomaterials that may be used in sensors and information systems.
Scientists from the Ural Federal University participated in this study. Their work relies on the use of different types of carbon nanotubes made from graphene and laser ablation technology, which allowed them to create carbon quantum dots with a three-dimensional diamond-like structure, but the nature of their communications resembles two-dimensional quantum dots.
These new nanoparticles have potential for use in various fields, including electronic devices, optics and biology. It can also be used to develop electronic and optical components and sensors as well as in medical and information systems. This discovery could also be useful in space technology and quantum technology.
The creators of the new quantum dots plan to continue developing their research, including using different laser ablation methods to create new carbon nanomaterials with diverse properties.