"By 2050, the coolest summers in the tropics and parts of the northern hemisphere will still be hotter than the most scorching summers since the mid-20th century if global warming continues apace, according to a new study.
Tropical regions in Africa, Asia and South America could see 'the permanent emergence of unprecedented summer heat' even within the next decades, said the study, to be published later this month in the journal Climatic Change Letters.
Such dramatic changes in temperature would have a major impact on human health, food supplies and biodiversity, warn the researchers.
'Large areas of the globe are likely to warm up so quickly that, by the middle of this century, even the coolest summers will be hotter than the hottest summers of the past 50 years,' said lead author Noah Diffenbaugh, a professor at Stanford University's Woods Institute for the Environment.
Scientists have long predicted that climate change driven by greenhouse gas emissions would cause more frequent heat waves, such as struck Europe in 2003, or the United States this week."
Tropical regions in Africa, Asia and South America could see 'the permanent emergence of unprecedented summer heat' even within the next decades, said the study, to be published later this month in the journal Climatic Change Letters.
Such dramatic changes in temperature would have a major impact on human health, food supplies and biodiversity, warn the researchers.
'Large areas of the globe are likely to warm up so quickly that, by the middle of this century, even the coolest summers will be hotter than the hottest summers of the past 50 years,' said lead author Noah Diffenbaugh, a professor at Stanford University's Woods Institute for the Environment.
Scientists have long predicted that climate change driven by greenhouse gas emissions would cause more frequent heat waves, such as struck Europe in 2003, or the United States this week."
