Scientists warn of longer periods of heatwaves and heavy rain as a result of climate change
As heatwaves and drought become more drawn out, the damage they cause to health, ecosystems, agriculture and the economy grows"significantly", scientists warn.
Global temperatures have risen by about one degree already and are on track for an increase of at least three degrees if states cut climate-changing emissions in line with the plans they have made so far. In 2018, several spells of hot and dry weather, each lasting weeks, contributed to wheat losses of 15 per cent in Germany, they noted.
Co-author Carl-Friedrich Schleussner said the study showed that limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius – the lower limit governments agreed to strive for in the 2015 Paris climate accord – would reduce those impacts "considerably", highlighting the need for "urgent action" to cut planet-warming emissions further.
"Unless we understand how extreme heat impacts people, it is harder to start planning for it and to convince people ," she told a briefing on heatwaves and cities last week.
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