DistantNews
Support us
Nobel laureate Ester Duflo on rising temperatures: 'Climate change will kill people'
🇷🇸 Serbia /Environment & Climate

Nobel laureate Ester Duflo on rising temperatures: 'Climate change will kill people'

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Nobel laureate Esther Duflo warned in Belgrade that climate change could cause 1 to 8 million deaths annually, disproportionately affecting the poor.
  • She stated that rising temperatures will hit poorer countries hardest due to existing heat and limited adaptation capacity, primarily linked to financial resources.
  • Duflo noted that while CO2 emissions might slightly decrease mid-century, they are projected to rise again, continuing global warming unless emissions are significantly reduced.

Nobel laureate in Economics Esther Duflo issued a stark warning about the deadly consequences of climate change during her visit to Belgrade in late June. She stated that climate change could lead to between one and eight million deaths annually, depending on the projection scenario used.

Climate change will kill people - between one million and eight million annually, depending on which scenario for projections you use.

— Esther Duflowarning about the potential death toll from climate change during a congress in Belgrade.

Duflo, participating in the 21st World Congress of Economists, emphasized that the rise in temperatures will most severely impact countries inhabited by poor populations. She explained that the primary factors determining the mortality rate from climate change are the initial temperature levels and the ability to adapt, with financial resources being a crucial element for adaptation.

"Poor people are unlucky to live in countries where it is already hot," Duflo observed. "And the first factor that determines whether climate change will lead to additional deaths is – how hot it is to begin with. The second fact is – are you able to adapt? And the key factor that helps people adapt is – money."

The rise in temperature will most affect countries where poor people live.

— Esther Dufloexplaining the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable populations.

She highlighted the scientific consensus that global temperatures will continue to rise, noting that current conditions are already very hot. Duflo attributed this partly to high CO2 emissions, projecting that these emissions will remain high in the future. While some projections suggest a slight decrease in emissions by mid-century due to reductions in OECD countries and China, they are expected to increase again afterward.

Poor people are unlucky to live in countries where it is already hot. And the first factor that determines whether climate change will lead to additional deaths is – how hot it is to begin with. The second fact is – are you able to adapt? And the key factor that helps people adapt is – money.

— Esther Duflodetailing why poorer nations are more susceptible to climate change impacts.

"As long as CO2 emissions do not decrease, do not start going down, the earth will continue to warm," she stated. Duflo reiterated that while everyone will feel the effects of climate change, the most severe consequences, particularly shortened lifespans due to rising temperatures, will occur in the poorest countries. She cited research from the Climate Impact Lab, which analyzed past weather variations, not climate changes, to correlate temperature differences with mortality rates in adjacent areas, such as districts in India.

As long as CO2 emissions do not decrease, do not start going down, the earth will continue to warm.

— Esther Duflolinking continued CO2 emissions to ongoing global warming.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog