August was the second hottest on record NASA reveals

Scientists at the University of Hawaii at Manoa studied over 1,900 locations worldwide where high temperatures have killed people since 1980.

By analysing the climatic conditions which caused 783 deaths, the team identified a threshold beyond which heat and humidity become deadly.

Currently, about 30 per cent of the world's human population is exposed to these potentially lethal conditions each year.

Scientists used data on deaths caused by heatwaves and predictions based on carbon dioxide emissions at current rates to model the future risks posed by lethal heatwaves (pictured), which could affect 74 per cent of the world's population by 2100

By 2100, this will rise to least 48 per cent even if greenhouse gases are aggressively reduced.

At current rates, this will rise to 74 per cent and the figures could be even higher if emissions rise, which is likely with the development of economies around the world.  

Dr Camilo Mora, associate professor of geography at the university and lead author of the study, said: 'Our attitude towards the environment has been so reckless that we are running out of good choices for the future

Over the last few decades, global temperatures have steadily risen, bringing with them more sweltering summers and an increased risk of deadly heatwaves

'We are running out of choices for the future. For heatwaves, our options are now between bad or terrible.

'Many people around the world are already paying the ultimate price of heatwaves, and while models suggest that this is likely to continue to be bad, it could be much worse if emissions are not considerably reduced.'

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