Asia’s April Heatwave Fueled By Climate Change, Study Says

(Photo : Getty Images/ ULISES RUIZ/AFP)

Scientists have determined that, compared to a world without climate change, the heat wave that swept over Asia in April and reached temperatures as high as 46 degrees Celsius in certain locations was far more severe and likely to occur.

Asia And Climate Change

Since the beginning of April, record-high temperatures have been seen in dozens of Asian countries, ranging from India to the Philippines, forcing the region's schools to close and prompting the issue of urgent health advisories.

For the third year in a row, severe heatwaves that devastated records and claimed thousands of lives have affected billions of people throughout Asia.

According to recent research by experts at the World Weather Attribution (WWA), without the climate problem brought on by burning gas, coal, and oil, this year's heatwave in the Philippines would have been "virtually impossible" and far less severe throughout South and West Asia.

The footprint of heat-trapping gases in the impacted area was traced by the WWA group using computer models and ground data.

Climate change, the scientists discovered, increased the likelihood of heat waves in places like Palestine and Israel by five times and raised their temperature by 1.7 degrees Celsius.

The researchers calculated that this year's heatwave in the Philippines, where temperatures were 1.2 degrees Celsius higher, would not have been feasible without decades of fossil fuel use.

Two of these studies (2022 and 2023) focused on South Asia, where it was discovered that the region's temperature would rise by 0.85 degrees Celsius and experience abnormal heat 45 times more frequently as a result of climate change.

The WWA researchers also investigated the possibility that El Niño, the warm current that occurs regularly in the Pacific Ocean, contributed to the incident. They came to the conclusion that although it caused the Philippines' temperatures to rise by roughly 0.2 degrees Celsius, it had little effect on the West Asian heatwave.

The study emphasizes the possibility of "wide-ranging systemic impacts on the economy," according to Ashish Fernandes, chief executive officer of the consultancy Climate Risk Horizons.

Worse May Yet To Come

The study also pointed out that extreme heat waves of the kind that have been seen in Gaza, West Asia, and the Philippines are not uncommon in today's warmer globe and can be anticipated to occur roughly once every ten years. However, it cautions that worse may yet come.

In the event that global warming surpasses 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, as anticipated in the 2040s or 2050s if carbon emissions continue at their current rate, West Asia and the Philippines may experience comparable extreme heat waves every five years and every two to three years, respectively.

A large portion of South and Southeast Asia, which also saw unusual heat waves last month, was examined in the WWA analysis.

It was the warmest April day ever recorded in Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar, while it reached 46 degrees Celsius in India. The study included Bangladesh and Thailand, two other countries that also saw extremely hot April temperatures.

The investigation showed that climate change also had a significant impact in this region, increasing the likelihood of heatwaves by 45 times and raising their temperature by 0.85 degrees Celsius.