Climate Change: More than 3bn could live in extreme heat by 2070

This is considered outside the climate «niche» in which humans have thrived for the past 6,000 years.

Co-author of the study Tim Lenton told the BBC: «The study hopefully puts climate change in more human terms».

Researchers used data from United Nations population projections and a 3C warming scenario based on the expected global rise in temperature. A UN report found that even with countries keeping to the Paris climate agreement, the world was on course for a 3C rise.

According to the study, human populations are concentrated into narrow climate bands with most people residing in places where the average temperature is about 11-15C. A smaller number of people live in areas with an average temperature of 20-25C.