February 14, 2023

Climate Change is More Extreme and Widespread Than Previously Thought

Harnessing the Power of Simulated Data to Help Us Mitigate the Impact of Increasing Temperatures on Earth

It's no secret that our planet is getting warmer. But a new study out of Oxford University claims that climate change will be much more extreme and have more far-reaching consequences than previously expected. Increased compound extreme heat and drought will become more common worldwide, leading to disastrous effects on food production, health outcomes, economies, and natural ecosystems. NPG believes understanding the implications of sustained increased temperatures on Earth is essential if we’re to take steps to mitigate their effects while ensuring survivability in years to come.

The report, published in Nature Sustainability, shows that global heat and drought threats may have severe socio-economic and ecological impacts, particularly on poorer people and rural areas. Additionally, the research projects that under the highest emission scenario, these compounding hazards will intensify tenfold worldwide, meaning compound extreme heat and drought will hit 90% of the world’s population.

Dr. Jiabo Yin from Wuhan University explains how the simulations quantify ecosystem productivity at such a large scale, sharing: “By using simulations from a large model…and a new machine-learning generated carbon budget dataset, we quantify the response of ecosystem productivity to heat and water stressors at the global scale.”

Professor Louise Slater of Oxford University highlights the importance of the work, noting: “Understanding compounding hazards in a warming Earth is essential for the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG13 that aims to combat climate change and its impacts. By combining atmospheric dynamics and hydrology, we explore the role of water and energy budgets in causing these extremes.”

Looking back at extreme heat, drought, and flooding in 2022, “scientists point to the toll of human activity, caused by burning immense amounts of coal, oil, and gases that emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, for exacerbating extreme weather events,” according to a recent Washington Post article.

It’s time for society to have an honest conversation about the role population growth plays in worsening the problems associated with climate change. NPG has been calling attention to this critical issue for decades, and we will continue to do everything we can to sound the alarm until meaningful steps are taken to reduce our population to a smaller, truly sustainable size. We can slow, halt, and eventually reverse population growth by working together – but time is running out.

To read more about global warming and population, click here.