Report: South Asia's Heatwave 30x More Likely Because of Climate Change

Facts

• As South Asia's simmering heatwave continues - causing ~90 fatalities in the region and leading to extreme flooding from glacial melting, power outages, and stunted crop growth - a new climate report asserts that India and Pakistan will have increased chances of extreme heat events.¹
• A study released on Mon. from the World Weather Attribution initiative found that the Mar./Apr. heatwave in India and Pakistan has been made 30x more likely because of climate change. Weather patterns enhanced by global warming in the region caused an increase in temperature of approximately 1.0°C (1.8°F) compared to preindustrial times.²
• Mar. was reportedly the hottest month in India since records began 122 years ago. The heat, combined with 71% less rain than normal, stunted crop growth and exacerbated concerns of a food shortage.³
• The report also praises India's rollout of Heat Action Plans to reduce mortality in future extreme events.⁴
• As a new dimension to the crisis, the intense heatwave has melted glacial ice and triggered significant flooding throughout the region. Nearly 3,250 residents are submerged in flood waters in the northeastern Indian state of Assam where the death toll has reached 18. 92k have taken shelter in relief camps.⁵
• Nearly 1B people in India and Pakistan have endured the scorching heat wave. Earlier this month, parts of Pakistan reached 117.5°F (47.5°C), the hottest temperature on record so far this year in the Northern Hemisphere.⁶

Sources: ¹New York Times, ²Washington Post, ³Guardian, ⁴World Weather Attribution, ⁵Al Jazeera and ⁶Axios.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Al Jazeera. Climate change has made heatwaves more frequent and more deadly in South Asia over the last decade. The IPCC warned of India's susceptibility to extreme heat in February and now the nation faces fires, disruption to education, power cuts and even fatalities amid this environmental crisis.
• Narrative B, as provided by FT. It's easy to dismiss any extreme weather event as a consequence of climate change, but in reality they're usually influenced by a myriad of factors. More research is needed before we can establish any direct causal link between the two.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Project Syndicate. While the richest nations are preoccupied with short-term inflationary and supply issues, the developing world faces the massive and irreversible effects of climate change. Successive empty promises mean poorer countries are left fighting an economic, social, and environmental battle that their vulnerable infrastructures are unprepared to deal with.