Extreme heat could affect nearly 4 billion people by 2050 if warming reaches 2C
A Nature Sustainability study projects that under a 2C warming, the number of people exposed to extreme heat would rise from about 1.54 billion in 2010 to 3.79 billion by 2050, with the heaviest impacts in India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Philippines; the biggest shifts occur early around the 1.5C mark, changing energy needs by boosting cooling demand in the southern hemisphere and reducing heating demand in the north, underscoring the urgency of adaptation and rapid emissions cuts.