A new study warns that 2°C of warming could expose 3.8 billion people to extreme heat by 2050, especially in tropical and developing nations.

A new Oxford University study warns that if global temperatures rise 2°C above pre-industrial levels, nearly 3.8 billion people could be exposed to extreme heat by 2050, double today’s figure, with developing and tropical countries such as India, Nigeria, and Bangladesh hit hardest. Even cooler nations like Canada, Russia, and Finland are unprepared due to heat-vulnerable infrastructure. Researchers say extreme heat raises risks of organ failure, death, and disease spread, disproportionately affecting low-income communities, the elderly, and those with health conditions, and urge urgent investment in cooling access, home insulation, and heat-resilient urban planning.