Extreme Heatwaves Pose Spreading Treat

Rising temperatures mean that heatwaves will become hotter, more frequent, last longer, and will cover much wider areas.

Scientists in the US have added a new dimension to the growing hazard of extreme heat.  As global average temperatures rise, so do the frequency, duration and intensity of heatwaves.

And that’s not the only factor to worry about.  By mid-century, the area straddled by those bands of extreme heat could increase by 50% – if nations attempt seriously to contain climate change.

But if humans carry on burning fossil fuels in ever-greater quantities and felling more and more reaches of tropical forests, the most dangerous and extreme heatwaves in future could cover areas 80% bigger than at present.

“As the physical size of these regions increases, more people will be exposed to heat stress,” warns Bradfield Lyon, associate research professor in the Climate Change Institute and School of Earth and Climate at the University of Maine, US.

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