The death of a toddler from extreme heat highlighted the risk of climate-related illnesses across Malaysia. The same week, Vietnam declared a state of emergency after abnormally high temperatures in the south dried up entire rice fields. And in the Philippines, hundreds of schools suspended classes after daily temperatures soared past 107 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius). <\/p>\n
Sweltering heat is back in Southeast Asia, one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change. And it is not going away any time soon, scientists have warned. <\/p>\n
Thailand has been worst hit, Herrera said, adding that heat forecasts there have been especially dire. Temperatures across the country had been \u201cbreaking non-stop records\u201d for 13 months \u2013 and heat and humidity levels were relentless, he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe trend is inescapable. The region has to prepare for terrible heat for the rest of April and most of May.\u201d <\/p>\n
On April 3, as Thailand entered its annual dry season, the capital Bangkok clocked temperatures of around 109 degrees Fahrenheit \u2013 prompting many to stay indoors in air-conditioned comfort. <\/p>\n
In nearby Vietnam, the heat wave brought intense droughts to the south \u2013 driving temperatures up to nearly 104 degrees Fahrenheit and wreaking havoc on the country\u2019s vital agriculture industry. Vietnam is one of the world\u2019s largest rice exporters and low rainfall spells trouble for farmers in its Mekong delta region. <\/p>\n
Rice fields and rivers have dried up, according to Vietnamese media reports, and farmers have been struggling without rainwater for their crops. <\/p>\n
Record heat waves in 2023 caused severe power outages in several cities. This year, Vietnamese meteorologists have attributed the unusually long dry spell to El Ni\u00f1o, a natural climate pattern that originates in the Pacific Ocean along the equator and influences weather all over the world. <\/p>\n
But alongside these natural variations, the world continues to blast through climate records, with deadly heat waves becoming the norm. <\/p>\n
Though average temperatures in Southeast Asia have risen every decade since 1960, experts say one of the most worrying characteristics of the heat wave now sweeping across the region is its prolonged duration – with no end in sight. <\/p>\n
Researchers from Swiss climate research group IQ Air attributed the current heat wave to \u201ca combination of factors which include human-induced climate change and the El Ni\u00f1o event.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThis phenomenon has led to unprecedented high temperatures across the region,\u201d IQ Air said in a statement on April 5. \u201cThere is currently no definitive end date projected as an abatement to the heat will depend on factors such as weather patterns and (government) mitigation efforts.\u201d <\/p>\n
One mitigation effort being considered in Malaysia is cloud seeding, injecting particles into clouds \u2013 usually from an airplane \u2013 to make it rain. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur air assets are always ready,\u201d said Adly Zahari, the deputy defense minister. \u201cCloud seeding should take into account various weather factors such as cloud conditions and the wind before it is carried out.\u201d <\/p>\n
At least two heat-related fatalities have been reported in the country \u2013 a 22-year-old man from the northern state of Pahang and a 3-year-old boy, in neighboring Kelantan. Both died of heatstroke, according to health officials. <\/p>\n
Officials in Sabah, a state on Borneo island, also reported close to 300 fires that started at farms, plantations and forests throughout February. <\/p>\n
Climate change has made \u201cMalaysia vulnerable to extreme heat,\u201d the country\u2019s Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on the sidelines of a talk in late March following heatstroke cases. \u201cWe are thankful that we have not yet reached the third level of extreme heat waves but this could happen at any time.\u201d <\/p>\n
But there is still much to be done, say some living in the capital Kuala Lumpur. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are living in extreme weather conditions,\u201d said Aidil, adding that he often woke up thirsty and tired after taking naps during the fasting period. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so much to be done and I really want to see governments across the region not just adapting (but also) establishing greater climate resilience against extreme hazards,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
In Singapore, some schools have told students to wear cooler, looser gym gear until further notice, given persistently high temperatures in recent weeks. <\/p>\n
Similar actions were taken by hundreds of schools in the Philippines, including dozens in the capital Manila, that canceled classes after temperatures reached unbearable levels. <\/p>\n
But watchdog groups have expressed concerns about children\u2019s safety. <\/p>\n
\u201cEducators and local authorities have been forced to take the extreme decision to shut hundreds of schools because this extreme heat means children are simply unable to concentrate in the classroom and their health is also at risk,\u201d said a statement by Save The Children Philippines. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to see urgent action now to limit warming to a maximum of 1.5\u00b0C above pre-industrial levels. <\/p>\n
\u201cFailing to do this will have dramatic consequences for children\u2019s health, safety and wellbeing.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The death of a toddler from extreme heat highlighted the risk of climate-related illnesses across…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1957,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1956"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1956\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}