Reduced exposure to extreme precipitation from 0.5 °C less warming in global land monsoon regions

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05633-3
• Publication Date: 2018-08-02T11:26:14Z
• Authors: Wenxia Zhang; Tianjun Zhou; Liwei Zou; Lixia Zhang; Xiaolong Chen
• Keywords: Vulnerability; East Asian Monsoon

The Paris Agreement set a goal to keep global warming well below 2 °C and pursue efforts limit it 1.5 °C. Understanding how 0.5 less reduces impacts risks is key for climate policies. Here, we show that both areal population exposures dangerous extreme precipitation events (e.g., once in 10- 20-year events) would increase consistently with the populous land monsoon regions based on Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 multimodel projections. reduce once-in-20-year by 25% (18–41%) 36% (22–46%), respectively. avoided are more remarkable intense extremes. Among subregions, South Africa most impacted, followed Asia East Asia. Our results improve understanding of future vulnerability to, risk of, extremes, which paramount mitigation adaptation activities region where nearly two-thirds world's lives. has been suffering from precipitation. authors limiting instead could baseline rainfall extremes