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LiveScience
LiveScience
Jesse Steinmetz

2 billion people could face chaotic and 'irreversible' shift in rainfall patterns if warming continues

A photo of a storm over a town.

Nearly 2 billion people could face wild disruptions in water availability if the planet continues to warm — and the change could be irreversible, new research suggests.

Earth's average surface temperature is already about 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit (1.2 degrees Celsius) higher than pre-industrial levels, and with 2024 the hottest year on record, the future forecast is not promising.

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