Delhi saw a record-breaking temperature of 52.3 degrees Celsius this year.
Climate change significantly impacts global weather patterns, causing various disruptions and extreme weather events. Rising global temperatures, primarily due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels, have led to more frequent and severe heatwaves, storms, droughts and floods. These changes affect ecosystems, agriculture, water resources, and human health. And now, a new interactive map by University of Maryland has revealed how climate change has begun transforming our planet, and the effects are expected to accelerate due to the emission of greenhouse gases.
The map called ‘Future Urban Planets’ has been created by the university’s spatial ecologist Matthew Fitzpatrick. It uses some fancy number crunching for thousands of cities, towns and suburbs across the globe to explain what cities will feel like in 60 years.
“In 50 years, the northern hemisphere cities to the north are going to become much more like cities to the south. Everything is moving towards the equator in terms of the climate that’s coming for you,” said Mr Fitzpatrick.
The map has data of more than 40,000 locations across the world and presents a grim scenario for 2080. Searching for New Delhi reveals that New Delhi’s 2080 summer is projected to be 4.5 degrees Celsius warmer, and 1.4 per cent drier. In winter, the average temperature could rise by 4.9 degrees Celsius.
In Mumbai, the summers could be 3.4 degrees Celsius warmer and 7.4 per cent wetter, explains the map. Winters are expected to be 4.5 degrees Celsius warmer and 5.8 per cent wetter.
The metropolis was hit by heavy showers just days ago, disrupting suburban train services and flight operations. Some areas in Mumbai received more than 300 mm of rainfall in just six hours.
Popular winter destinations too will see temperatures rise to uncomfortable levels. For example, the map suggests that Srinagar will be 5.4 degrees warmer by 2080.
New York is projected to resemble that of present-day northern Mississippi. Washington DC is expected to feel like current-day North Louisiana, with a potential temperature increase of 6 degrees Celsius, as per the map.
