Meeting world targets to limit climate change would avert hundreds of thousands of heat-related deaths in the Middle East and North Africa, scientists said on Tuesday, urging the region to adapt better. A modeling study published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal found slashing carbon emissions to limit the rise in Earth’s average temperature to two degrees Celsius would reduce heat-related deaths in the region by 80 percent compared to a high-emissions scenario. Many MENA [Middle East and North Africa] countries also need to strengthen their existing health systems to better prepare for climate change impacts. The regional focus on the heat risk comes as Dubai prepares to host the United Nations COP28 climate summit in November.
SOURCE: VOA
