15-5-2024 (MANILA) A blistering heatwave that engulfed Asia, including the Philippines, in April was intensified and rendered more probable by human-induced climate change, according to an analysis by climate scientists.
Unbearably hot weather swept across the continent, prompting health advisories, causing thousands of schools to suspend classes, claiming hundreds of lives, and inflicting damage upon crops.
“From Gaza to Delhi to Manila, people suffered and perished when temperatures soared alarmingly in April across Asia,” stated Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer at Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute-Climate Change and the Environment, and a co-author of the study conducted by the World Weather Attribution group.
“Heatwaves have always occurred. But the additional warmth, driven by emissions from fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal, is resulting in fatalities for many individuals,” Otto added.
Employing published peer-reviewed methodologies, the scientists analyzed the impact of climate change on the intensity of a three-day April heatwave in West Asia and a 15-day heatwave in the Philippines.
The researchers found that in the Philippines, similar heatwaves are anticipated to occur approximately once every 10 years during El Niño conditions and about once every 20 years in other years without the influence of El Niño.
They also stated that a heatwave of this magnitude would have been virtually impossible in the Philippines without human-caused climate change, even under El Niño conditions.
“Overall, climate change rendered this year’s heatwave 1°C hotter, while El Niño made the heatwave an additional 0.2°C hotter. If global warming reaches 2°C, similar heatwaves in the Philippines will occur every two to three years and will become another 0.7°C hotter,” the study said.
In the Philippines, exceptionally high temperatures prompted schools to transition to online classes and threatened power grids. At least seven people have succumbed to heat-related illnesses since the start of the year, according to the Department of Health.
The researchers emphasised that the escalating risk of dangerous heat, particularly in rapidly growing urban centres like Manila, underscores the critical necessity for heat action planning that safeguards vulnerable communities.
“Heat action plans outline measures for dealing with heat, such as adjusting work and school hours,” explained Carolina Pereira Marghidan, a climate risk consultant at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre.
“Although various countries have made substantial progress on such plans, there is an urgent need to scale up and further strengthen them across Asia to cope with the rising heat,” she added.
The Department of Education is gradually reverting to the academic calendar year, when classes commence in June and conclude in March.
Meanwhile, labour groups like Kilusang Mayo Uno are urging the government and employers to establish measures to ensure the safety of workers, such as extended breaks, noting that extreme heat poses a “health and safety hazard.”
The World Weather Attribution study was conducted by 13 researchers, including scientists from universities and meteorological agencies in Malaysia, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
