2023-09-02 05:03:00
From India to Australia -passing through Japan-, two continents, Asia and Oceania, exceeded their maximum temperatures, they confirmed yesterday, in yet another example of the impact of climate change.
The rise in temperatures comes after warnings from scientists and environmental experts, who have long warned that the planet is warming, and coincided with the heat records recorded in countries like Greece and Canada, where major forest fires occurred.
In India, the world’s most populous country, authorities said August was the hottest and driest month on national records, dating back more than a century. August falls in the middle of India’s annual monsoon (seasonal wind) season, which typically accounts for 80% of the country’s annual rainfall.
The monsoon brought deadly flooding to parts of northern India, but overall the rains were much more moderate than usual.
According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the average rainfall in August was 161.7mm, which is 30.1mm less than the last record low, recorded in August 2005. The least amount of rain contributed to the extreme heat.
“The average and maximum temperatures in August 2023 were the highest since 1901. The significant lack of rainfall and the weakness of the monsoon are the main reasons,” explained the IMD. The average temperature between June and August was “considerably higher in the north, east and west” of the country, and “the highest for a summer since 1898,” Japan’s meteorological agency said. In many places, “not only the maximum temperatures, but also the minimum temperatures” broke records, they added.
In Australia, this austral winter was the warmest ever recorded, with an average temperature of 16.75ºC between June and August. A level slightly higher than the previous record, set in 1996, and the highest since temperatures began to be recorded in 1910, the Australian weather office said.
This does not stop here. Climate change brought temperature increases across the planet in 2023, with July being the warmest month ever recorded on Earth. Meanwhile, scientists have long warned that climate change causes more intense, longer and more frequent heat waves.
In addition, the warming El Niño weather phenomenon (a phenomenon related to the increase in the temperature of the Pacific Ocean) could cause the mercury to rise even more, although its effects will probably begin to be felt later this year.
Heat waves are among the deadliest natural hazards, killing hundreds of thousands of people each year from preventable causes. In developed countries, elements such as air conditioning can help mitigate the impact.
But even in wealthy Japan, authorities reported that at least 53 people died from heat stroke in July, with nearly 50,000 requiring urgent medical attention. Young children and the elderly, less able to regulate their body temperature, are the most vulnerable to heat.
Those who work outdoors are also at higher risk. Even a young and healthy person would die after spending six hours at 35ºC in an environment with 100% humidity. Although extreme heat does not even have to touch that level to be deadly, experts warn.
John Nairn, an expert with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said last month that heat waves will become increasingly dangerous. “People are too relaxed about the signs,” he laments. “Science warned that this would come. And it doesn’t stop here. It will be more intense and more frequent, ”he assures.
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