02/28/2024

Humanity is Dangerously Pushing Its Ability to Tolerate Heat

Extreme heat waves are already killing tens of thousands of people

Humanity's superpower is sweating—but rising heat could be our kryptonite, and an average temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels could bring regular, fatal heat waves to large parts of the planet, says Tom Matthews, a senior lecturer in environmental geography at King's College London.

"We have evolved to cope with the most extreme heat and humidity the planet can throw at us," he explained. But when our core temperature gets to about 42 degrees Celsius (around 107.5 degrees Fahrenheit), people face heat stroke and probable death as the body strains to keep cool and the heart works harder, inducing heart attacks.

Matthews cites an example from his home country, the U.K. In the summer of 2022, the U.K. broke its high temperature record, surpassing 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Scientists estimate there were roughly 3,500 heat-associated deaths that summer in the U.K. Across Europe, they estimate high heat caused more than 60,000 deaths.

Please select this link to read the complete article from WIRED.