Inequity in Population Exposure to Accelerated Warming

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The issue of whether climate change is accelerating has sparked heated debate in recent months. Here, we examine for acceleration in warming rates and explore possible causes for regional differences. We find, the rate of global warming is accelerating, and show that regions with large population and low socioeconomic development experience reduced acceleration due to high local aerosol emissions. As we transition to clean-energy alternatives, rapid reduction in aerosol emissions without a concurrent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions could expose a large fraction of the world's most vulnerable people to a sudden acceleration of warming. This would also increase exposure to more intense and frequent heat extremes for highly vulnerable populations. These results call for targeted climate adaptation strategies that direct attention to low-socioeconomic aerosol masked regions.

Recommended citation: Sengupta, A., King, A. D., & Ryan, R. G. (2024). Inequity in population exposure to accelerated warming. Geophysical Research Letters, 51(22), e2024GL110644.