Southeast Asia is hit by intense heatwaves
Since the beginning of the month of April 2024, extreme heat has started across Southeast Asia. A three-year-old child died of heatstroke in Malaysia on April 4. Since then, the risk of climate-related illnesses has increased across the country.
During that week, unusual temperatures began to appear in southern Vietnam. The paddy field dries up. Authorities declared a state of emergency. At the same time, the temperature in the Philippines crossed 42 degrees Celsius. Authorities were forced to close hundreds of schools.
Southeast Asia is one of the region’s most vulnerable to climate change. Since the beginning of April 2024, there has been a huge fire here. Scientists warn that there is no getting rid of it soon.
The 11 countries of Southeast Asia are Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. There are 675 million people living in these countries.
Climatologist Maximiliano Herrera said temperatures in Southeast Asia have reached unprecedented levels. The highest temperature has risen in Thailand. In the last 13 months, the temperature in the country has been breaking records. Temperature and humidity are increasing here.
“We thought the temperature was unbearable last year,” Herrera added. But this year that record was also broken. The temperature in Bangkok never drops below 30 degrees Celsius. The night temperature will not drop more than this throughout April.
This climatologist warns that the trend of increasing temperature is inevitable. The region should prepare for intense heat throughout the rest of April and May.
Thailand’s dry season begins on April 3. Since then, the temperature in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, has crossed 42 degrees Celsius. Many are forced to decide to stay at home in an air-conditioned environment.
Vietnam is currently experiencing the onset of drought conditions in its vicinity. The temperature there exceeded 40 degrees. This has started affecting the important agricultural sector of the country.
Vietnam is one of the world’s largest exporters of rice. Farmers there are facing problems due to low rainfall. The paddy field is drying up.
Earlier last year, severe thunderstorms disrupted power supply in many cities. This year, climatologists fear a longer burning time. They say the reason for this is the effect of El Niño.
El Niño is a natural phenomenon that occurs every two to seven years. Scientists say El Niño has caused a temporary increase in human-made global warming.
Average temperatures in Southeast Asia have increased every decade since the 1960s. Experts say one of the most alarming features of the current fires is that they have been spreading across the region for a long time. There is no end in sight.
IQ Air, a Swiss climate research institute, found that the current fires are due to human-caused climate change and El Niño. On April 5th, they noted that El Niño led to very high temperatures in Southeast Asia.
It is not possible to predict a specific date when it will end. However, its reduction depends on weather patterns and government efforts.
Malaysia has taken initiatives like cloud seeding to save from extreme weather conditions.
