How Climate Change Will Lead to More Deadly Stagnant-Air Days

More terrible news for those looking forward to the weather of tomorrow: If greenhouse-gas emissions stick to their current levels, the world will not only be more ovenlike and full of fire but the air could be so stagnant and foul it'd be like living inside the cavity-ridden mouth of an unkempt dog.

Researchers at Stanford University have modeled the frequency of "still-air events" in the coming decades, and the results are anything but encouraging. The warming climate is predicted to shift historical patterns of precipitation and wind, creating many new regions where rain is scarce and there's not enough breeze at ground level to move a hair on a sweaty head. These doldrums-like conditions are the perfect recipe for air stagnation, an atmospheric condition that often allows pollutants to build up to levels that are harmful to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.