Heat, forest fires, lack of food production: forecasts are scary
A shocking study was published this week: by the end of this century, climate change will cause 150,000 deaths in Europe every year. The European Commission's Research Center is sounding the alarm in an article published in The Lancet Planetary Health.
In this study, scientists focused on seven elements: heat, cold, drought, wildfires, river floods, ocean floods and storms. They analyzed 2.3 thousand weather accidents over the past 30 years.
Scary for the USA
Study director Guri Bang of the Norwegian Climate Research Center Cicero Senter told TV 2 that there are serious consequences coming, not least for the United States.
The content of the report completely contradicts what was stated by the Trump administration about climate issues. The administration said that there were no climate problems. The United States is one of the few countries that does not have a plan and national policy to limit its emissions.
This summer, the Lucifer heat wave has settled over a large area of Europe. Researchers at the Cicero Center believe that the combination of global warming and high humidity will cause heat waves in excess of 40 degrees to become common across a large area of the globe.
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“The temperature of the globe has risen by one degree. This gives us a starting point for a higher temperature,”says Bjørn Hallvard Samset, climatologist at the Cicero Center, to TV 2.
According to research, global warming of the atmosphere is gradually increasing. And the warmer it gets, the more moisture appears in it.
- Björn Hallward Samset: When the temperature is over 40 degrees and you don't have a cool place to hide, you can get heatstroke and this will be bad for your health.
- TV 2: What will happen to Norway?
- Here it is initially cooler, in addition, the sea is nearby, as a result of which the temperature drops every night. Therefore, we will not suffer as much as other parts of Europe. However, we will notice the impact of heatwaves in other parts of the planet. Policy and technology matter in order to prevent future climate challenges. It is also important how much we can reduce CO2 emissions by quickly switching to solar panels or implementing other measures. With normal economic growth, this is difficult, but not impossible.
Samset believes that we will face many small phenomena such as heat waves, heavy rains. rising ocean levels and declining food production.
- We will not be hit by a big catastrophe like in Hollywood. But if all these small things happen at once, then we will have problems. Areas with dense populations will be hit hardest.
In an article published Saturday, researcher Jana Sillmann writes about the dangers that heat waves pose to weakened populations.
“At 40 degrees, the heat becomes dangerous to health. Heat waves may not be dangerous for those who move from their air-conditioned homes to their air-conditioned offices in air-conditioned cars. But it is dangerous for those who have to be outdoors - that is, for peasants, construction workers, the homeless and the poor, as well as for people with health problems,”Sillmann writes in this article.
Kjersti Johannessen