3 billion people could live in places as hot as the Sahara by 2070 unless we tackle climate change

May 13, 2020

Billions more people could be living in desert-like conditions, unless climate change is addressed. Image: REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

Sean Fleming

Senior Writer, Formative Content

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The projected shift in temperature would affect the geographic distribution of people. Image: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America/ Chi Xu, Timothy A. Kohler, Timothy M. Lenton, Jens-Christian Svenning, Marten Scheffer [CC 4.0]

Much of Africa, South America and Australasia will face challenging conditions. Image: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America/ Chi Xu, Timothy A. Kohler, Timothy M. Lenton, Jens-Christian Svenning, Marten Scheffer [CC 4.0]

Environmental concerns dominate the risk outlook over the next 10 years. Image: World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2020

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