Climate Research Lab publishes new article about extreme heat waves in Africa

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From UIC Today:

Heat waves — prolonged periods of abnormally hot weather — influence egg prices, energy bills and even public transit. And they’re becoming more common as temperatures increase.

In a new study, UIC researchers report that heat waves across Africa are hotter, longer and more frequent today than 40 years ago, mainly due to increased greenhouse gas and black carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. Understanding heat waves’ origins and effects can help African countries predict them and adapt.

“Raising awareness of heat waves is critical to saving human life,” said Akintomide Afolayan Akinsanola, head of the Climate Research Lab and assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences in the UIC College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “In a developing continent like Africa, where the capacity for adaptive infrastructure is relatively low, heat waves can have greater consequences.”

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