CLIMATE CHANGE STUDY: Permanent, Unbearable Heat Expected In Southern California By 2047

A new study out today is predicting permanent hot weather for the whole world, with Southern California feeling off-the-charts heat by mid-century.

"Our findings shed light on the urgency of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions if climates potentially harmful to biodiversity and society are to be prevented," according to the study by lead author Camilo Mora, whose findings were published in the journal Nature.

The study titled "The projected timing of climate departure from recent variability" is based on climate models and predicts that in any given geographic area, the coldest year in the future will be warmer than any hot day currently on record.

In other words, 115 degrees may seem like a cool day in Southern California by mid century.

Scientists from the University of Hawaii at Manoa compiled the research and found that the first U.S. cities to feel the extreme heat will be Honolulu and Phoenix, followed by San Diego and Orlando, Fla., with Los Angeles and other American cities right behind around the year 2047 or so.

The researchers warn that "unprecedented climates will occur earliest in the tropics and among low-income countries, highlighting the vulnerability of global biodiversity and the limited governmental capacity to respond to the impacts of climate change."

According to a New York Times story about the study findings, Dr. Mora is not a climate scientist but rather "a specialist in using large sets of data to illuminate environmental issues."

If humans continue treating the environment under a "business-as-usual scenario," the data show dire consequences.