Extreme heat waves will kill more people by 2080, study suggests

Deaths from extreme heatwaves will increase dramatically by 2080 if humans are unable to adapt as temperatures rise around the world due to global warming, a new study suggests.

Researchers from Monash University in Australia said the uptick in deaths will start in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, before moving to Australia, Europe and the United States.

Researchers in the study created a model to estimate the number of deaths from heatwaves in 412 communities across 20 countries between 2031 to 2080.

Projections used different scenarios such as levels of greenhouse gas emissions, preparedness and adaption strategies and population density.

The study found under the worst-case scenario in Australia, deaths from heat waves in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne will surge 471 percent compared to the period between 1971 and 2010.

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"If we cannot find a way to mitigate the climate change and help people adapt to heatwaves, there will be a big increase of heat wave-related deaths in the future, particularly in the poor countries located around the equator," said Yuming Guo, associate professor at Monash University and the study's lead author, in a statement.

Their findings were published in the journal PLOS Medicine.

The study recommends several changes to limit the number of deaths related to excessive heat, including making more drinking water available to the public and creating a heat wave warning system.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23

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