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According to a new Oxford study, climate change will worsen in the coming decades as nearly 90 per cent of the world’s population will face extreme heat and drought conditions. The study published in Nature Sustainability says the combined threats of heat and drought put societies and ecosystems at a much higher risk than when either is considered independently. The researchers made the predictions using a large and complex climate-hydrology model. More importantly, countries in the global South will be disproportionally impacted by these extreme weather conditions. “South America, Horn of Africa, southern Africa, Middle East, eastern China, and northern India might experience more severe risks of compound heat-drought hazards than other regions. According to the World in Data, the United States has emitted around 400 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide since 1751, making it responsible for 25 per cent of historical emissions. The European Union is also a large contributor, responsible for around 25 per cent of historical emissions. While compounded extreme heat and drought conditions will affect everyone worldwide, they won’t affect everyone equally.