Climate crisis made crippling April heatwave in South Asia 45 times more likely

Annu Mishra kept her modest food stall shut as temperatures in Odishas Bhubaneswar remained above 40 degrees Celsius for 17 consecutive days in April This streak was the longest since 1969 severely impacting health and livelihoodsThe crippling heat made it extremely difficult to stand near the gas stove said 51yearold Mishra noting that the only time her food stall remained shut for such a long duration was after Cyclone Fani in 2019Similar heatwaves could occur once every 30 years and they have already become about 45 times more likely due to climate change leading climate scientists said on Wednesday citing historical weather dataThe team of scientists called the World Weather Attribution WWA group emphasized that heatwaves intensified by climate change are making life much tougher for people living in poverty across AsiaAmid a prevailing but weakening El Nino and the increasing concentration of heattrapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere millions of people in South Asia endured brutal heat in AprilRecordsmashing maximum temperatures were logged in parts of India prompting health warnings from government agencies and some states to suspend inperson classes in schoolsThe oppressive heat also shattered temperature records in the Philippines Bangladesh Indonesia Malaysia and MyanmarIn West Asia including Syria Lebanon Israel Palestine and Jordan April heatwaves with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius have become more frequent due to climate changeThe world experienced the warmest April ever and the eleventh consecutive month of recordhigh temperatures the World Meteorological Organization WMO said on FridayAnother WMO report published in April said Asia experienced maximum disasters in the world in 2023 with extreme weather climate and waterrelated hazards affecting over nine million people in the regionAs global average temperatures have risen by 12 degrees Celsius compared to the cooler preindustrial climate scientists predict that West Asia is expected to experience similar heatwaves about once every 10 years If warming reaches 2 degrees Celsius similar heatwaves will occur about once every five yearsHeatwaves can be deadly with the elderly and children particularly at risk of heat exhaustion and heatstroke According to the World Health Organization more than 166000 people died as a result of heatwaves between 1998 and 2017Extreme temperatures can also impact economies People are less productive during hot weather even if they work indoors while children struggle to learn in extreme heatA study in 2022 said extreme heat resulted in labour productivity loss of USD 21 trillion equivalent in 2017In Bhubaneswar Mishra suffered a loss of Rs 20000 due to keeping her food stall the only source of income for her family shut during the prolonged heat wave spell 16 days the longest since April 2016Other street vendors were allowed to sell their produce and articles between 6 am and 10 am in the morning and 6 pm and 10 pm in the evening resulting in massive losses for them Many suffered heatstrokes Mishra who is also a member of the local street hawkers association saidExperts suggest that the population aged above 65 and below 15 needs special attention in terms of preparedness to reduce the impact of extreme heat on healthCities in India need to identify vulnerable populations expeditiously and prepare heat action plans accordingly said Vishwas Chitale senior program lead at the Council on Energy Environment and WaterThe WWA emphasized that some countries such as India have comprehensive heat action plans in placeYet to protect some of the most vulnerable people these plans must be expanded with mandatory regulations such as workplace interventions for all workers to address heat stressThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever