“The region is already susceptible to dangerous heat levels. We found that even in the best case scenario, where temperatures only go up by 1.5 degrees Celsius, pilgrims would still be under threat.”

-Fahad Saeed, lead author of a study evaluating the increased risk that pilgrims may suffer life-threatening heat stroke from rising temperatures as a result of global warming. The risk could rise five-fold with global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial times, found the study in the journal Environmental Research Letters. [Reuters]