August 2026 was the warmest August on record globally, and there is little doubt that Earth’s climate is changing.
Now, researchers are issuing another chilling warning — and this time, the potential death toll could reach a staggering 450,000 people.
Nearly half a million people could die as a result of the current Super El Niño weather event, according to a new scientific report warning of the deadly consequences of soaring temperatures around the world.
The study, led by Professor Michael Greenstone, co-founder of the University of Chicago’s Climate Impact Lab, estimates that as many as 451,000 additional deaths could occur because of extreme heat linked to the powerful climate phenomenon.
While the number is difficult to comprehend, Greenstone stressed that the figure represents real people and families.
”The estimate of 451,000 people is such a large number that it can be numbing, but it is made up of parents and children, grandparents and neighbors, people going to work, caring for families, and living their lives,” he said.
According to the researchers’ projections, the deaths could occur between September 2026 and February 2027, with the effects potentially continuing into ...