China’s North All Set to Become World’s Deadliest Heat Wave Zone by 2070

Northern China is one of the most densely populated areas on earth and if it doesn’t adopt measures to control carbon emissions, the situation is going to lead to the increase of the humid heat waves forcing people out of its boundaries by the end of this century.

The new scientific research shows that the condition of China’s northern plain, which also includes the capital city of Beijing, is worrisome because most of its regions of 400 million population are dependent on agricultural activities and is exposed to climatic conditions. The heat and high humidity can also create a situation where it can kill even healthy people within six hours of being outside.

According to Professor Elfatih Eltahir, who led the study said, “This spot is going to be the hottest spot for deadly heat waves in the future, China is currently the largest contributor to the emissions of greenhouse gases, with potentially serious implications to its own population. Continuation of current global emissions may limit the habitability of the most populous region of the most populous country on Earth”. Professor Elfatih Eltahir has specialization in hydrology and climate science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The report published in the Science Journal Natural Communications, also indicates that the killer heat waves are going to cover the whole of northern China in just 50 years and 400 million of its inhabitants may face a day where they have only a few hours to live, as the day will be like a pressure cooker.

The area was once fertile open fields that have become among the most densely inhabited places on Earth. It is not just the heat that is going to be the problem. It is the amount of moisture in the air, which determines whether one is going to get a chance to cool down. It is therefore called ‘wet bulb’ temperature.

The human body has the ability to face heat waves depending on its ability to sweat, as sweat cools down the skin through evaporation. Extreme humidity, therefore, means there is no scope in the air for sweat to create and thus body heats up immediately leading to death in 4-5 hours.

According to Professor Jeremy Pal of Seaver College of Science and Engineering, “If the wet bulb temperature exceeds the human body’s skin temperature of 35C, perspiration no longer works as a cooling mechanism. The body will quickly overheat, resulting in death”.

On the other hand Researcher Camilo Mora of the University of Hawaii observes, “When it is both very hot and humid outside, heat in the body cannot be expelled. This creates a condition called ‘heat cytotoxicity’ that is damaging to many organs, it’s like a sunburn, but inside the body”.

The Nature Communications report says weather conditions capable of creating a killer ‘wet bulb’ could be in place by 2070. This is alarming for China if the current control mechanism is not improved in the coming days. It’ll be going to have a fatal end.