Asia – The relentless heat wave in Pakistan and India continues to climb, as more than one billion people prepare for temperatures of 5-8 degrees celsius above normal. Already temperatures have broken 122-year old record highs and threaten to cause more deadly heat-related illnesses.
Shibayan Raha, 350.org South Asia Senior Digital Organiser says,
“We cannot deny this climate crisis any longer. We are experiencing heat waves in spring. The heat is unbearable and people are suffering. Many in heavily populated areas do not have access to air conditioning, and workers with outdoor jobs are unable to carry out their work in this extreme heat, impacting sources of income.
The IPCC report predicts significant increases in heat waves globally, but we are the human faces of that science. It looks daunting on paper but is even more devastating in reality and we demand immediate climate action. Governments can no longer approve fossil fuel projects, and financial institutions can no longer fund them, without our suffering on their hands.”
South Asia is on the frontlines of the climate crisis and will experience devastatingly high temperatures if leaders do not take urgent action to lower carbon emissions. The recent IPCC climate impacts report predicts frequent temperature extremes and heatwaves in Asia, especially in densely populated South Asian cities, where working conditions will be exacerbated and day-time outdoor work becomes dangerous.Much of South Asia could become uninhabitable if temperature trends continue, potentially leading to a large-scale humanitarian crisis.
South Asian climate activists continue to call for real climate leadership, an end to fossil fuel extraction and a swift redirection of funds away from fossil fuels and into just and sustainable energy solutions.
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