By it’s getting hot in here
In 2018, “The First Undeniable Climate Change Deaths” were reported in Japan. Scientists concluded in 2019 that the 1,000 heat-related deaths would not have happened without global warming.
A new study calculates the mortality cost of carbon (MCC). This relays the future number of excess deaths associated with temperature rise.
let’s cut to the chase
The peer-reviewed study found that in a scenario where the Earth warms by an average of 4 degrees Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100, 83 million excess deaths will occur before the end of the century due to temperature rise.
source: rolling stone
the good(ish) news
If we decarbonize by 2050, it’s estimated that 74 million lives could be saved. This is somewhat similar to the population size of baby-boomers in the US.
Source: R. Daniel Bressler, “the mortality cost of carbon” nature communications
oh, the decisions to be made
The study found that every 4,434 tons of carbon emitted in 2020 will kill one person this century. Therefore when decisions are being made by policy makers or corporations, it allows for tangible translation into the lives saved with emission reductions. Or the lives expected to be lost with emission production.
the crazy thing
…is that this number is vastly underestimated because it only considers excess deaths from heat. The death toll is only expected to increase when factoring in other events projected with climate change. Some of these include an increased frequency of extreme weather events, non-renewable water scarcity and declining agricultural production amidst a growing population.
The peer-reviewed study is published in the Nature Communications Journal.
