95-Degree Days: How Extreme Heat Could Spread Across the World

Extreme heat can affect daily activities around the world, with side-effects as extreme as crop die-offs and heat death, the New York Times reports:

New data suggests that the number of days reaching at least 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius), will increase dramatically over the 21st century, threatening daily routines, crops, and even lives, report Brad Plumer and Nadja Popovich forĀ The New York Times. In cities like Washington, D.C., which experienced an average of 7 days of extreme heat a year over the last two decades, temperatures could reach 96 degrees as many as 74 days a year by 2100 in the worst case scenario. Regions closer to the equator will see extreme temperatures most frequently, potentially every day in some areas like the Middle East.

The Paris Agreement will have a huge impact on the number of extreme heat days around the world. The commitment will not slow the rise of 95-degree days but will stop it sooner. Washington is expected to experience 26 extreme heat days a year by 2100 accounting for Paris Agreement mitigation. The effects will still be dangerous in many places. In India, for example, heat deaths are 3 percent more likely for every degree Celsius above 20. A 95-degree day will have extreme impact on regions like India, the Middle East, and Saharan Africa.

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