Countries across Asia have been hit by another round of extreme heat that has set seasonal temperature records throughout the region.
After heat waves struck large parts of the continent in April, temperatures spiked again late last month, normally the start of the cooler monsoon season.
India, Pakistan, and Southeast Asia had already experienced a punishing heat wave in April, causing widespread infrastructure damage and a surge in heatstroke cases. Bangladesh was also at its hottest in 50 years, while Thailand hit a record 45 C.
Constantino, deputy chair of the Expert Advisory Group of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, says the heat wave, which has swept across the Philippines and the rest of the Southeast Asian region, is proof that climate change is “not a phenomenon waiting to bite us in the future.”
“Southeast Asia is not exempt from the impacts of global warming. The region will not be returning to far more pleasant temperatures it had enjoyed many decades ago.”
According to scientists at the World Weather Attribution, the “extreme humid heat” in the region is “largely driven by climate change,” and this heat wave is detrimental to vulnerable and disadvantaged communities such as people with disabilities, outdoor workers, and farmers.
The original article is available HERE.
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