Updated

A new study suggests wide swaths of northern India, southern Pakistan and parts of Bangladesh may become so hot and humid by the end of the century it will be deadly just being outdoors.

Such conditions would threaten up to a third of the region's population, currently 1.5 billion, unless the global community can rein in climate-warming carbon emissions.

The study was led by Eun-Soon Im at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. It uses computer simulations to project future "wet-bulb temperature" levels, which account for humidity and the body's ability to cool down. It shows that about half a billion people could be at risk within decades if the world continues emitting greenhouse gases at current levels.

The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.