A third of humanity could be on the move if climate change isn’t curbed, scientists say

A third of humanity could be on the move if climate change isn’t curbed, scientists say

Extreme heat could force a third of humanity to move to cooler regions.

A new report says most of us live in a temperature "niche," but it’s starting to shrink.

As climate change gathers pace, mass migration will become the fate of many.

But it’s not too late to curb climate change, say the scientists.



Almost a third of all humans may have to leave their homes and migrate to cooler climates to avoid extreme heat if we don’t act to halt climate change or mitigate its effects, a new report warns.

This latest estimate of the potential number of people who may be forced to become climate refugees dwarfs all previous forecasts. As recently as September 2021, the World Bank put the likely figure at 216 million.

But now an international team of scientists have produced a report that warns that, if nothing is done to slow climate change, 3.5 billion people may have to leave their homes in the next 50 years to escape average temperatures of over 29C.

They say that even if global warming is restricted to 2C – which is 0.5C above the target set in the 2015 Paris climate agreement – around 1.5 billion people