CLIMATE CRISIS
Oppressive heat scorches Asia, prompts grim warning from scientistsPublished May 1, 2024
BANGKOK: Large swaths of Asia are sweltering through a heatwave that has topped temperature records from Myanmar to the Philippines and forced millions of children to stay home from school.
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Here are some questions and answers about the extreme heat, which scientists warn will become more frequent and intense because of human-induced climate change.
Where is affected?
The heat has hit much of South and Southeast Asia, with record temperatures in Myanmar’s Chauk and the Philippine capital Manila in recent days. Thai authorities have issued warnings about “severe conditions”, while authorities in Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh all forecast temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
The Philippines and Bangladesh both suspended in-person classes, while India is reviewing whether heat has affected turnout in national elections. Even northern Japan has been affected: temperatures in Japan’s Sapporo this month passed 25C (77F) at the earliest point of any year on record.
What is causing the heat?
The months preceding the region’s monsoon, or rainy season, are usually hot but temperatures this year are well above average in many countries. Experts say climate change is causing more frequent heatwaves that are more intense and last longer.
Asia is also warming faster than the global average, according to the World Meteorological Organisation, a UN agency. And the El Nino weather phenomenon is playing a role this year, said Milton Speer, a meteorologist and visiting research fellow at the University of Technology Sydney.
“The lack of cloud in El Ninos means that temperatures are likely to be higher on average,” he said. Sea surface temperatures in the region are currently several degrees Celsius above normal, “which helps keep the temperatures higher than average inland overnight”.
“So daytime temperatures start climbing from a higher base.” There are other factors at play too, including deforestation that reduces shade and increases dry surface area, and the urban heat island effect, where concrete, glass and steel structures absorb rather than reflect heat.
Who is affected?
Extreme heat disproportionately affects children, the elderly and those living in poverty. Children, older people and those with pre-existing conditions or disabilities can overheat more quickly.
Those living in poverty also often lack cooling solutions at home or are forced to work in conditions without adequate heat protection. The UN children’s agency Unicef warned this month that 243 million children across the Pacific and East Asia are at risk from heatwaves.
“Child exposure to heatwaves leads to heat stress,” said Salwa Aleryani, health specialist for Unicef’s regional East Asia and Pacific office. “Severe issues can develop, such as cardiovascular diseases, organ failure, muscle and nerve dysfunction,” she said.
How have countries reacted?
Authorities in several countries asked citizens to stay at home. Hospitals in Nepal were put on standby, while Cambodian officials asked public schools to keep doors and windows open for ventilation. Measures went further in Bangladesh and the Philippines, with schools closed for days.
Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2024
BANGKOK: Large swaths of Asia are sweltering through a heatwave that has topped temperature records from Myanmar to the Philippines and forced millions of children to stay home from school.
ADVERTISEMENT
Here are some questions and answers about the extreme heat, which scientists warn will become more frequent and intense because of human-induced climate change.
Where is affected?
The heat has hit much of South and Southeast Asia, with record temperatures in Myanmar’s Chauk and the Philippine capital Manila in recent days. Thai authorities have issued warnings about “severe conditions”, while authorities in Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh all forecast temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
The Philippines and Bangladesh both suspended in-person classes, while India is reviewing whether heat has affected turnout in national elections. Even northern Japan has been affected: temperatures in Japan’s Sapporo this month passed 25C (77F) at the earliest point of any year on record.
What is causing the heat?
The months preceding the region’s monsoon, or rainy season, are usually hot but temperatures this year are well above average in many countries. Experts say climate change is causing more frequent heatwaves that are more intense and last longer.
Asia is also warming faster than the global average, according to the World Meteorological Organisation, a UN agency. And the El Nino weather phenomenon is playing a role this year, said Milton Speer, a meteorologist and visiting research fellow at the University of Technology Sydney.
“The lack of cloud in El Ninos means that temperatures are likely to be higher on average,” he said. Sea surface temperatures in the region are currently several degrees Celsius above normal, “which helps keep the temperatures higher than average inland overnight”.
“So daytime temperatures start climbing from a higher base.” There are other factors at play too, including deforestation that reduces shade and increases dry surface area, and the urban heat island effect, where concrete, glass and steel structures absorb rather than reflect heat.
Who is affected?
Extreme heat disproportionately affects children, the elderly and those living in poverty. Children, older people and those with pre-existing conditions or disabilities can overheat more quickly.
Those living in poverty also often lack cooling solutions at home or are forced to work in conditions without adequate heat protection. The UN children’s agency Unicef warned this month that 243 million children across the Pacific and East Asia are at risk from heatwaves.
“Child exposure to heatwaves leads to heat stress,” said Salwa Aleryani, health specialist for Unicef’s regional East Asia and Pacific office. “Severe issues can develop, such as cardiovascular diseases, organ failure, muscle and nerve dysfunction,” she said.
How have countries reacted?
Authorities in several countries asked citizens to stay at home. Hospitals in Nepal were put on standby, while Cambodian officials asked public schools to keep doors and windows open for ventilation. Measures went further in Bangladesh and the Philippines, with schools closed for days.
Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2024
The Asian heatwave is shattering meteorological records
The continent has become increasingly susceptible to climate change, with millions enduring sweltering conditions and heat-related disruptions.
ARTICLE BY
Staff Reporter
PUBLISHED
30 Apr 2024
Photo by Sudarshan Jha
Unprecedented levels of heat are continuing to affect millions of people in South and Southeast Asia, with heat indices exceeding 50ºC in parts of the Philippines, and new temperature records set in three dozen districts across Thailand.
Heat indices reflect so-called “apparent temperature” – what hot weather feels like to the human body when humid conditions prevent the cooling effects of evaporating perspiration.
On Monday, conditions in the Philippines forced authorities to cancel in-person schooling for over 1.3 million students from nearly 4,000 schools. “The pupils can’t cope with this kind of weather,” the principal of one primary school told the Associated Press.
The extreme heat has seen a surge in demand for electricity to power air-conditioners and fans, with the national grid operator warning of insufficient power.
Thailand has meanwhile seen temperatures top 40ºC in 26 of its 77 provinces this month, with the northern province of Lampang wilting under the country’s highest reading of 44.2ºC.
[See more: The number of hot days could more than double by mid-century, SMG says]
Thai authorities have warned of even hotter weather in the coming days and told people to avoid prolonged outdoor activity, while energy use soared to a record 36,699MW yesterday.
State media in Vietnam has meanwhile reported large numbers of people seeking relief from the heat in air-conditioned shopping malls in Ho Chi Minh City, with authorities warning of a higher risk of forest fires. In Malaysia, 16 regions have seen temperatures between 35ºC and 40ºC for three days running.
Temperatures rose to 43ºC in Bangladesh yesterday, with authorities ordering schools to close. In India, the heat was even more severe, reaching 45.6ºC in parts of the country and exceeding climatological norms by as much as 8ºC.
Even in northerly Japan, the heat has been unprecedented for this time of year, with many places across the country registering temperatures in excess of 30ºC last weekend.
The World Meteorological Organisation warned last month of “severe heat conditions” in Asia, which scientists are attributing to climate change exacerbated by the El Niño weather phenomenon – a warming of the ocean surface in parts of the tropical Pacific that creates hotter conditions.
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