Science In Action Paris agreement impacts and drought realities
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Oct 16, 2025 Freddie Otto, a climate scientist at World Weather Attribution, discusses the Paris Agreement's impact on extreme heat and its links to mortality. He emphasizes the urgent need for stronger commitments to combat rising temperatures. Mendy Smith, an ecologist from the International Drought Experiment, reveals the long-term impacts of droughts on grasslands and the difficulty of recovery. Natalie Stroeymeyt, a behavioral ecologist, shares fascinating insights into how ants redesign their nests to prevent disease spread, showcasing nature's innovative solutions.
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Warming Is Already Changing Weather
- Global warming of ~0.3°C since 2015 already increases extreme hot days and heatwaves worldwide.
- Freddie Otto warns these changes are present-day realities requiring urgent adaptation beyond future planning.
Pledges Risk A Much Hotter Century
- Current national pledges place the world on a roughly 2.6°C pathway by century's end unless ambition and policy change.
- Otto says that projected heat under that pathway 'is not a world we want to live in.'
Heat Hits The Least Responsible Hardest
- Heat-day increases hit small island and low-emission countries hardest, creating stark climate injustice.
- Otto quantifies impacts, linking heat increases to excess mortality in European cities as a concrete outcome.