MIT Technology Review: Hotter Days Will Drive Global Inequality

Extreme heat reduces labor productivity and will drive inequality among nations and regions. “The average global income is predicted to be 23 percent less by the end of the century than it would be without climate change,” reports MIT Technology Review on work by researchers from Stanford and University of California at Berkeley. “But the effects of a hotter world will be shared very unevenly, with a number of northern countries, including Russia and much of Europe, benefiting from the rising temperatures.” Temperatures above 95°F, or 35°C, will reduce crop yields and also affect behaviors and health, with increases in civil conflict and disease predicted. Poor nations in South America, Africa and South Asia are expected to suffer the worst consequences of the rising temperatures associated with climate change. – YaleGlobal