Class Contribution Form

Student Name: Marisa Scandole

Reference: Matthews, T. K., Wilby, R. L., & Murphy, C. (2017). Communicating the deadly
consequences of global warming for human heat stress. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, 114(15), 3861-3866. doi:10.1073/pnas.1617526114

Brief Summary (250-word max)

Global warming has been a surfacing issue for quite some time now and research is
constantly expanding on the effects it has on the human body. With constant rising air
temperature, we are currently experiencing much hotter weather which in turn is increasing the
atmospheric water vapor. These increases are causing direct effects on the human bodies
capabilities to dissipate heat effectively. Internationally, there has been a consensual
commitment to keep global temperature changes to below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial
levels. However current research is now showing that even this may not be enough. This study
discovered that the global mean air temperature is not linear to heat stress, which means the risk
of catastrophic warming is much larger than expected. Specifically, in South Asia, the study
hypothesizes that with only 1.5 degrees Celsius there could be deadly heat by as early as 2050 in
urban civilizations. Over the years there have been various attempts are finding a solution for
global warming including conversion of carbon dioxide to fuel, creating more oceanic clouds,
and even the “chimney to the sky” which would ideally have relocated pollution to the
stratosphere. In order to protect the world from detrimental climate change and global warming,
more money and research needs to be invested into the adaptations efforts of the human
population. Without drastic changes soon, what is predicted to happen in South Asia can happen
all over the world.