Monday, 8 March 2021

Tropics May be Out of Bounds?

Many people appear to have reluctantly given up on the idea of limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees Centigrade above pre-Industrial levels. If so, they are probably giving up on humans being able to occupy the planet's tropical regions (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/08/global-heating-tropical-regions-human-livability). The human core body temperature is 37 degrees Centigrade (it's the optimum temperature for the activity of our enzyme systems). If the wet bulb temperature exceeds 35 degrees Centigrade, the combination of heat and humidity, means that sweating will not to cool the body. People would then be forced to migrate out of tropical areas, placing enormous pressures on populations, provision of food etc. Even the areas they would be forced to move into, would be reduced by rises in sea levels. Perhaps we need to try a little harder?
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