A new study conducted by the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) has found that at least 85% of the world’s population is already being affected by the direct and indirect consequences of climate change. The study analyzed around 100,000 empirical scientific publications on the topic of climate change, using a KI algorithm to extract the responsible climate drivers and their geographic locations. The resulting world map provides a detailed overview of the individual impacts of climate change. The study’s authors hope that it will help to keep track of the scientific findings in the era of “Big Literature.”
The study shows that at least 80% of the Earth’s land area is already affected by climate change. The analyzed studies cover a wide range of topics, including changes in forest area, heat-related deaths, and the migration of butterflies. The analysis also reveals that there is a lack of data on climate change from low-income countries, which is particularly problematic as the consequences of climate change primarily affect poorer regions of the world. This data gap makes it difficult to plan effective countermeasures in these areas.
The study’s lead author, Max Callaghan, emphasizes that the results of the study are not surprising, as the effects of climate change have been known for some time. However, the study provides a comprehensive global picture of the current situation, which is essential in the face of the exponential increase in climate change publications in recent years. The study’s authors hope that their approach will help to manage the ever-growing amount of data on climate change and provide a better understanding of the global impact of this crisis.
