Spark News India Igniting Minds Daily
A recent study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) predicts that climate change will significantly reduce the number of pleasant “outdoor days” in various global destinations by 2100. The study combines data from 50 climate models to forecast the impact of climate change on outdoor activities, with implications for quality of life, travel, and tourism.
According to the study published in the Journal of Climate in March, “outdoor days” are defined as 24-hour periods with temperatures suitable for outdoor activities. Residents of northern countries, including Russia and Canada, are projected to see an increase in these days due to warmer winters. In contrast, southern regions, including equatorial areas and parts of Southern Europe and the US, will experience a decline in temperate weather throughout the year.
MIT environmental engineering professor Elfatih Eltahir, who led the study, highlighted that these changes will directly impact people’s perception of climate change. Yeonwoo Choi, a postdoctoral researcher at MIT, pointed out a clear disparity between the Global North and the Global South, with developing countries like Ivory Coast expected to see fewer outdoor days.
The study also has implications for the tourism industry. To illustrate, MIT’s data was used to analyze the impact on the world’s most visited tourist destinations, based on a ranking by UN Tourism in 2022. Tropical destinations are projected to be the hardest hit, with the Dominican Republic potentially losing 124 outdoor days by 2100, representing a 50% reduction in temperate climate days. Similarly, Mexico, India, Thailand, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates are expected to lose between 55 to 86 outdoor days annually.
Conversely, countries like France, the UK, Germany, and Austria are forecasted to gain between 18 to 60 outdoor days by 2100 due to warmer winters. Greece, however, is estimated to lose more than 30 outdoor days due to hotter summer temperatures.
O’Shannon Burns, a sustainable tourism consultant at Cornell University, emphasized the significance of the study, highlighting the profound impact climate change will have on the travel sector and the importance of destination-level climate action planning.
For those interested in exploring how outdoor days will change in their region, MIT has provided an interactive website where users can input different climate change scenarios and customize results based on preferred outdoor temperatures.
