The Facts
A new study published in Nature Sustainability on Monday has warned that countries across the Middle East and Gulf Region are highly vulnerable to climate change-related extreme heat, with poorer populations particularly at risk in the coming decades.
The study examined the potential consequences if countries were exposed to "unprecedented heat" — a mean annual temperature of 29°C (84.2°F) or higher. Exposure to extreme heat in two hypothetical scenarios was evaluated; a global temperature rise of 1.5°C (2.7°F) by 2070 and of 2.7°C (4.9°F) by the same year.
The Spin
Narrative A
Climate change, even warming lesser than the seemingly limited 1.5°C rise in global temperatures, would pose a catastrophic threat to human and animal species, as it would cause increased famines and wide-scale wildlife and ecosystem destruction. As we are likely to meet that threshold sooner than predicted, governments must prioritize the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions over the ongoing investment in fossil fuels for the sake of protecting our future.
Narrative B
Climate change is a concern, but scientists and activists focus far too often on parroting doomsday predictions and emphasizing the worst-case scenarios of global warming. Climate alarmism is counterproductive, and overshadows the mid-range scenarios that are more likely to be caused by climate change and deserve more scientific attention.