NBC meteorologist cites U.N. doomsday report, says southern states too hot for humans by 2070

An NBC meteorologist raised concerns Sunday that extreme heat could make the southern United States uninhabitable for humans, and that the doomsday scenario is “probably closer than you might think.”

Network meteorologist Angie Lassman cited a controversial 2022 United Nations climate report that says rising heat in the U.S. will make parts of Alabama, California, Georgia, Louisiana “less suitable” for human beings by 2070.

“The human body simply can’t handle these levels of heat and will go into heat stress,” guest host Joe Fryer said on NBC’s “Sunday Today” magazine show. “With much of the country and the world experiencing these record temps, at what point do certain areas just simply become uninhabitable for humans?” 

Lassman confirmed Fryer’s concern, saying the doomsday scenario is “actually, probably closer than you might think,” adding that the southern U.S. is getting so hot humans will not be able to live there in 50 years, and that the purported shift is due to climate policies.

“That report also states that up to one-third of the global population will start experiencing life-threatening heat conditions, something that we currently only see in places like the Sahara,” she suggested. 

“This all means climate migration, people in the hottest areas with the most vulnerable populations moving to avoid the heat and drought conditions. That of course, will put pressure on the cities and towns they move to and the heat [is] projected to cause this ripple effect this century.”

The alarming exchange comes less than a month after ADN America reported a certified consulting meteorologist working with NBC News also told the network that a recent heat wave in Puerto Rico was five times worse than usual “due to manmade global warming.”

That meteorologist, John Morales, told the network that the recent heat wave on the island could be attributed to climate change and interference by humankind.

“There’s emerging science indicating that there’s a connection to climate change here — the heat wave in Puerto Rico right now has been made at least five times more likely to happen due to man-made global warming,” Morales told NBC, reportedly after reviewing data from the Climate Shift Index.

“It’s not just climate, and it’s not just weather. It’s a combination of the two that’s leading to what, frankly, is a dangerous situation,” Morales said.

In the recent case, Lassman cited a study published in October 2022 by the United Nations and Red Cross.

It suggests that by 2070, heating temperatures could make some parts of the world “warmer than conditions deemed suitable for human life to flourish.” 

The study also effectively blames the energy industry for the purported radical shift, asserting that reducing greenhouse gasses would reduce the number of people impacted by up to 50%.

Climate change critics have criticized the controversial report as an alarmist study, which is part of a pattern of fatalist studies published by the United Nations throughout its existence.

The recent NBC exchange arose while Lassman and Fryer were discussing reports that this year’s Independence Day was the hottest day in at least 44 years.