Justin Worland reports for TIME on a new study by MIT researchers that shows by the end of the century millions of people living in South Asia could experience temperature and humidity conditions that exceed habitable levels. “The disastrous scenario could be avoided if countries meet their commitments to keep temperatures from rising more than 2°C (3.6°F) by 2100.”
MIT researchers have found that by 2100, climate change could cause deadly heat waves in parts of South Asia, reports Chris Arsenault for Reuters. “Climate change is not an abstract concept, it is impacting huge numbers of vulnerable people,” explains Prof. Elfatih Eltahir. “Business as usual runs the risk of having extremely lethal heat waves.”
Writing for The Guardian, Damian Carrington highlights a new study by Prof. Elfatih Eltahir that shows that without reductions in carbon emissions, millions of people living in South Asia could face extreme heatwaves. “The problem is very alarming but the intensity of the heatwaves can be reduced considerably if global society takes action,” says Eltahir.
BBC News reporter Matt McGrath writes that MIT researchers have found climate change could cause deadly heat waves in South Asia by the end of the century. "This is something that is going to impact your most vulnerable population in ways that are potentially pretty lethal,” explains Prof. Elfatih Eltahir. “But it is avoidable, it is preventable."
A new study co-authored by MIT researchers finds that underground magma triggered the world’s largest mass extinction, reports Howard Lee for The Guardian. Based off their findings, the researchers believe that, “greenhouse gas emissions triggered by magma intrusions...caused the extinction through abrupt global warming and ocean acidification.”
Wired reporter Sian Bradley writes that a study co-authored by MIT researchers shows that the world’s largest mass-extinction was triggered by a massive underground magma pulse. The magma pulse “released dangerous levels of carbon dioxide, methane and sulphur dioxide into the environment and triggered the end of the Permian period.”
Boston Globe reporter Alex Kingsbury writes that a new study by MIT researchers shows that Indian monsoons have been getting stronger over the past 15 years. Kingsbury explains that the findings, “came as quite a surprise: Since the 1950s, conventional wisdom has been that India was drying up.”
MIT researchers have found that by 2050 climate change could deplete water basins and reduce crop yields, reports The Boston Globe’s Alyssa Meyers. If no action is taken to combat climate change, “numerous basins used to irrigate crops across the country will either start to experience shortages or see existing shortages ‘severely accentuated.’”
In a letter to The Wall Street Journal, Prof. Ron Prinn and John Reilly, co-directors of the Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, explain why their research shows the importance of the Paris climate agreement. “Paris provides an unprecedented framework for global cooperation on this serious threat. In our view, U.S. withdrawal from it is a grave mistake.”
John Reilly of MIT’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change speaks with Barbara Howard of WGBH’s All Things Considered about how his group’s research on the Paris climate agreement was distorted. Reilly explains that he and his colleagues hoped their research would, “solidify the idea that the Paris Agreement was moving us forward.”
Washington Post reporter Ben Guarino writes that a study by research scientist Nick Obradovich provides evidence that rising temperatures caused by climate change could increase the number of nights where people have difficulty sleeping. The researchers found that “increasing temperatures could add six additional restless nights per month per 100 people, and 14 nights by 2099.”
In an article for Scientific American, Kavya Balaraman writes that MIT researchers have found that climate change could impact rainfall conditions over the Nile, potentially exacerbating water conflicts. Prof. Elfatih Eltahir explains that with the increased frequency of El Niño and La Niña, “we are projecting enhanced variability in the Nile flow.”
Writing for The Washington Post, Prof. Maria Zuber, MIT’s vice president for research, outlines how the U.S. can reduce coal emissions without “declaring war on coal communities.” Zuber argues that the U.S. must “commit to helping the workers and communities that are hurt when coal mines and coal plants reduce their operations or shut down.”
President L. Rafael Reif spoke with Los Angeles Times reporter Deborah Netburn about MIT’s commitment to fundamental scientific research. Reif explained that at MIT researchers are working to “identify big problems and have people working on those. To me, the health of the planet and human health are the two critical ones that drive everything.”
During a trip to Rome to renew MIT’s partnership with Eni aimed at accelerating clean energy technologies, President L. Rafael Reif spoke with Alessia Rastelli of Corriere della Sera about MIT’s Climate Action Plan, the Campaign for a Better World and bringing world-changing ideas to the marketplace. Reif explains that MIT researchers want to “have an impact on a global scale.”