Several regions of Asia suffocated by unprecedented heat wave

Large swaths of South and Southeast Asia are facing a heat wave that has caused record temperatures in countries such as the Philippines and Myanmar and left millions of children out of school. The phenomenon could last for days and even weeks, with temperatures exceeding 40ºC predicted in several countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh and “severe” weather conditions in Thailand. The months before the monsoon and rainy season on this continent are generally hot, but this year temperatures have been well above average in many countries.

Experts attribute this, in part, to climate change, which makes heat waves more frequent, longer and more intense and which has a stronger impact on Asia, which is warming faster than the global average, according to the Organization World Meteorological.

To this must be added the effect of the meteorological phenomenon El Niño, Milton Speer, meteorologist and researcher at the University of Technology Sydney, told AFP. “The absence of clouds due to El Niño means temperatures are likely to be warmer on average,” he says.

At the sea surface, temperatures are already several degrees above normal, “which helps keep them above average inland at night” and “intensify from a higher base” during the day.

Other factors also come into play, such as deforestation in affected areas, which reduces shade and increases dry surface, and urbanization, as concrete, glass and steel structures absorb heat rather than reflecting it.

Heat stress for children

Extreme heat affects more children, the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions. Furthermore, it impacts the most disadvantaged classes, without solutions to cool their homes and often forced to work without adequate thermal protection conditions. Unicef ​​has warned that 243 million children in the Pacific and East Asia are threatened by heat waves.

“Children’s exposure to heat waves causes thermal stress”, explains to AFP Salwa Aleryani, a health specialist at the UNICEF regional office. “It can cause serious problems, such as cardiovascular diseases, organ failure or muscular and nervous dysfunctions”, he warns. .

Faced with these risks, authorities in several countries asked their citizens to stay at home. Nepal put its hospitals on alert and Cambodia asked its schools to keep doors and windows open for ventilation. The Philippines and Bangladesh went further and decided to close schools for several days.

However, due to the absence of air conditioning or adapted construction methods, many children do not benefit from cooler temperatures at home than if they had gone to school, says Unicef’s Aleryani. High temperatures may persist in the region for some time.

In Bangladesh they are not expected to ease before Thursday and in Thailand the annual rains are expected to arrive only after the end of May, weeks later than usual. And even with the arrival of the monsoons, the general warming trend will continue, predicts Milton Speer.

“Heat waves will continue to occur more frequently because the oceans and atmosphere are progressively warming due to climate warming,” says the meteorologist, who also predicts risks for crops and livestock.

Therefore, this expert highlights the importance of adapting to this warmer climate and offering, for example, “sustainable structures with air conditioning in neighborhoods, where people can go during the day and sleep at night”.