The hot dog days are behind us and ahead of us. However, it was not always like this. The world is warming due to climate change, so we can expect more and more days in the future where temperatures reach 32 degrees Celsius and above. Read below how you can find out how your hometown is heated and by how many degrees it is warmer.
The Climate Impact Lab, a group of climate scientists, economists and analysts from the Rhodium Group, the University of Chicago, Rutgers University and Berkley University, in collaboration with The New York Times, have prepared a very special scheme where you can find out by how many degrees is your birthplace warmer compared to the year you were born and what awaits it by the end of the century.
You can access information about your place of birth HERE!
How different cities and regions will react to rising temperatures depends on how well they are adapted to heating, says Kelly McCusker, a climate scientist at the Rhodium Group. Such high temperatures can indeed increase the risk of disease and death, especially among the elderly, infants and people with chronic diseases. Also lower income population, who do not have access to air conditioning and other adaptive technologies, are more likely to suffer the effects of extreme heat.
They will also be under attack outdoor workers and factory workers, especially in developing countries where workplaces are less likely to be air-conditioned.
An increase in the number of days with a temperature of 32 degrees Celsius and above will more pronounced also in humid regions. "Humidity is a very important factor in how people experience heat," McCusker said. "If it's also humid, people are physiologically incapable of evaporating sweat and cannot effectively cool their bodies."
Heat can also have an effect to food production (including crop reduction and dairy production) and can increases the demand for electricity. More frequent 32C days could increase the chances of drought and wildfires.
