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Broad threat to humanity from cumulative climate hazards intensified by greenhouse gas emissions

Author

Listed:
  • Camilo Mora

    (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa)

  • Daniele Spirandelli

    (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
    University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa)

  • Erik C. Franklin

    (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
    University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa)

  • John Lynham

    (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
    University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa)

  • Michael B. Kantar

    (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa)

  • Wendy Miles

    (Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative
    University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa)

  • Charlotte Z. Smith

    (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa)

  • Kelle Freel

    (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa)

  • Jade Moy

    (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa)

  • Leo V. Louis

    (Cornell University)

  • Evan W. Barba

    (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa)

  • Keith Bettinger

    (East-West Center)

  • Abby G. Frazier

    (East-West Center
    USDA Forest Service)

  • John F. Colburn IX

    (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa)

  • Naota Hanasaki

    (National Institute for Environmental Studies)

  • Ed Hawkins

    (University of Reading)

  • Yukiko Hirabayashi

    (Shibaura Institute of Technology)

  • Wolfgang Knorr

    (Lund University)

  • Christopher M. Little

    (Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc.)

  • Kerry Emanuel

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Justin Sheffield

    (University of Southampton
    Princeton University)

  • Jonathan A. Patz

    (University of Wisconsin)

  • Cynthia L. Hunter

    (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa)

Abstract

The ongoing emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) is triggering changes in many climate hazards that can impact humanity. We found traceable evidence for 467 pathways by which human health, water, food, economy, infrastructure and security have been recently impacted by climate hazards such as warming, heatwaves, precipitation, drought, floods, fires, storms, sea-level rise and changes in natural land cover and ocean chemistry. By 2100, the world’s population will be exposed concurrently to the equivalent of the largest magnitude in one of these hazards if emmisions are aggressively reduced, or three if they are not, with some tropical coastal areas facing up to six simultaneous hazards. These findings highlight the fact that GHG emissions pose a broad threat to humanity by intensifying multiple hazards to which humanity is vulnerable.

Suggested Citation

  • Camilo Mora & Daniele Spirandelli & Erik C. Franklin & John Lynham & Michael B. Kantar & Wendy Miles & Charlotte Z. Smith & Kelle Freel & Jade Moy & Leo V. Louis & Evan W. Barba & Keith Bettinger & Ab, 2018. "Broad threat to humanity from cumulative climate hazards intensified by greenhouse gas emissions," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(12), pages 1062-1071, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:8:y:2018:i:12:d:10.1038_s41558-018-0315-6
    DOI: 10.1038/s41558-018-0315-6
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    Cited by:

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    3. Yang, Xin & Wei, Luohan & Deng, Rantian & Cao, Jie & Huang, Chuangxia, 2023. "Can climate-related risks increase audit fees?–Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
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    7. Wang, Junbo & Ma, Zhenyu & Fan, Xiayang, 2023. "We are all in the same boat: The welfare and carbon abatement effects of the EU carbon border adjustment mechanism," MPRA Paper 118978, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    9. Yang, Hanmin & Cui, Yuxiao & Han, Tong & Sandström, Linda & Jönsson, Pär & Yang, Weihong, 2022. "High-purity syngas production by cascaded catalytic reforming of biomass pyrolysis vapors," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    10. John E. Gordon, 2023. "Climate Change and Geotourism: Impacts, Challenges, and Opportunities," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-25, September.
    11. Wang, Yanwei & Dai, Zhenxue & Chen, Li & Shen, Xudong & Chen, Fangxuan & Soltanian, Mohamad Reza, 2023. "An integrated multi-scale model for CO2 transport and storage in shale reservoirs," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 331(C).
    12. Flament, Guillaume, 2023. "Impact of the energy transition on long-term factor productivity," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 393-406.
    13. Onifade, Stephen Taiwo, 2023. "Environmental impacts of energy indicators on ecological footprints of oil-exporting African countries: Perspectives on fossil resources abundance amidst sustainable development quests," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    14. Wang, Liang & Lin, Xipeng & Zhang, Han & Peng, Long & Ling, Haoshu & Zhang, Shuang & Chen, Haisheng, 2023. "Thermodynamic analysis and optimization of pumped thermal–liquid air energy storage (PTLAES)," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 332(C).
    15. Rising, James A. & Taylor, Charlotte & Ives, Matthew C. & Ward, Robert E.T., 2022. "Challenges and innovations in the economic evaluation of the risks of climate change," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    16. Luca A. Panzone & Natasha Auch & Daniel John Zizzo, 2024. "Nudging the Food Basket Green: The Effects of Commitment and Badges on the Carbon Footprint of Food Shopping," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 87(1), pages 89-133, January.
    17. Haqiqi, Iman & Grogan, Danielle S. & Bahalou Horeh, Marziyeh & Liu, Jing & Baldos, Uris Lantz & Hertel, Thomas, 2021. "Environmental Stressors Can Intensify the Impacts of Pandemics on Earth’s Natural Resources and Global Food Systems," Conference papers 333278, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    18. Choe, Changgwon & Cheon, Seunghyun & Kim, Heehyang & Lim, Hankwon, 2023. "Mitigating climate change for negative CO2 emission via syngas methanation: Techno-economic and life-cycle assessments of renewable methane production," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    19. Ding, Jinxiu & Lu, Zhe & Yu, Chin-Hsien, 2022. "Environmental information disclosure and firms’ green innovation: Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 147-159.
    20. Abatayo, Anna Lou & Lynham, John, 2023. "Resource booms and group punishment in a coupled social-ecological system," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    21. Chmielewska Anna & Sławiński Andrzej, 2021. "Climate crisis, central banks and the IMF reform," Economics and Business Review, Sciendo, vol. 7(4), pages 7-27, December.
    22. Audrey Brouillet & Sylvie Joussaume, 2020. "More perceived but not faster evolution of heat stress than temperature extremes in the future," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 527-544, September.
    23. Longhui Li & Yue Zhang & Tianjun Zhou & Kaicun Wang & Can Wang & Tao Wang & Linwang Yuan & Kangxin An & Chenghu Zhou & Guonian Lü, 2022. "Mitigation of China’s carbon neutrality to global warming," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.
    24. Rising, James A. & Taylor, Charlotte & Ives, Matthew C. & Ward, Robert E.t., 2022. "Challenges and innovations in the economic evaluation of the risks of climate change," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 114941, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    25. Yanqing Xu & Yan Liu & Ruidun Chen & Yifei Meng & Kenan Li & Cong Fu, 2023. "Study on the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics and driving mechanism of China’s carbon emissions," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-11, December.

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