Environment & Energy
In reply to the discussion: Are We Heading Toward Extinction? [View all]kurtcagle
(1,602 posts)But yes, I expect things are going to get hairy over the next century or so.
Africa is actually going to be the place to watch, as well as anywhere within the tropics. WHO estimates that the largest projected population growth (roughly another 1.8 billion people) in the 21st century will be in Africa. At the same time, a significant swath of Central Africa and the Middle East may be facing sustained temperatures above 140 F, which is hot enough that it is considered unsustainable for human habitation for more than a few hours at a time.
I do not believe that the two are reconcilable. More than likely, we will be seeing heat refugees displacing economic and political refugees as the largest impetus for human migration patterns, which is going to increase the xenophobia that you're seeing in the US and much of Europe at this point.