Late April’s sizzling temperatures across Asia and the Middle East, which soared above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for several consecutive days, were made 45 times more likely due to human-induced climate change, according to a study released by the World Weather Attribution group on Tuesday.
The heat wave stretched from Gaza in the west, affecting over 2 million people amid conflicts, to the southeastern regions of the Philippines. “People suffered and died when April temperatures soared in Asia,” said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College in London and author of the study. She warned in an AFP report, “If humans continue to burn fossil fuels, the climate will continue to warm, and vulnerable people will continue to die.”
The study reported at least 28 heat-related deaths in Bangladesh, and additional fatalities in India and Gaza. Extreme temperatures also broke records in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and the Philippines, which experienced its hottest night ever recorded at 29.8 degrees Celsius (85.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
Impacts were also felt in agriculture with significant crop damage, and in education, where heat forced the extension of school vacations and closures across several countries. Climate experts noted that extreme heat in South Asia during the pre-monsoon season is becoming more frequent, with regional temperatures now approximately 0.85 degrees Celsius (1.5 Fahrenheit) hotter due to climate change.
Aditya Valiathan Pillai, a heat plans expert at the New Delhi-based Sustainable Futures Collaborative, emphasized the severity of the situation: “These findings in scientific terms are alarming, but for people on the ground living in precarious conditions, it could be absolutely deadly.” Pillai highlighted the need for increased awareness about heat risks and investments in both public and private sectors to mitigate future heat waves. “I think heat is now among the foremost risks in terms of personal health for millions across the world as well as nations’ economic development,” he added.
