World cities face dramatic rise in heat

CAPE TOWN: In the next 30 years, cities around the world will face dramatically higher risks from extreme heat, coastal flooding, power blackouts, and food and water shortages unless climate-changing emissions are curbed, urban researchers warned. Currently more than 200 million people in 350 cities face average daily peak temperatures of at least 35 degrees Celsius for three months a year, according to a study by C40 Cities, a network of cities pushing climate action. But by 2050, more than 1.6 billion people in 970 cities will face those conditions, researchers predicted. The number of people in poverty and battling brutal heat — usually without air-conditioning — will rise tenfold, they said. — Reuters