How deadly heat waves will impact economies and ecosystems | DW News

now a record Heat Wave uh is sweeping across parts of Southern and Eastern Asia many countries have recorded the hottest April on record millions of people are still battling the uh punishing Heat and the S soaring temperatures have forced school closures in some regions and authorities are taking other precautionary measures to avoid heat stroke and dehydration free mobile showers help beat the heat in Manila they’ve been supplied by local government officials to Residents facing Power and Water shortages amid the soaring temperatures humans are not the only ones struggling to keep cool vets in India say more pets than usual are coming in after succumbing to heat related illnesses presently we have seen that every out of 10 dogs three dogs is coming with the heat stress colorations of the tongue heavy briak rate of the Ice uh trimmer convulsion are there in southern Vietnam hundreds of thousands of fish have died in a reservoir locals say the Heatwave and bad Water Management are to blame in effective parts of Asia sales of air conditioners have rocketed which has sent prices soaring for those who cannot afford electric cooling devices like many rohinga refugees living in cson Bangladesh there’s no escape from the extreme temperatures we don’t have a fan in our sh we don’t have the money to buy the one that runs with solar we’re having difficult days ID this heat there have been reports of heat stroke and dehydration within the camps and heat rashes among the children in India slum dwellers also describe harsh conditions the houses are made of asbestos the roofs using metal which absorb a lot of heat we can’t stay in our houses even for an hour and we can’t eat comfortably communities like these will have to find ways to adapt in the years ahead a scientists say climate change is increasing the frequency and duration of extreme heat events and we can get more on the story from Environmental Lawyer and climate activist Rafael Lam who joins us now from laor in Pakistan uh welcome to DW it’s very clear that heat heat waves make life really tough on people but can can you help us understand how they are affecting our ecosystems well thank you Anya for having me on your show uh this last April was the hottest in recorded history and we are approaching the coolest Summer of the rest of our lives heat waves are going to impact crop productivity around the world this will lead to food shortages uh and increasing food prices heat waves are going to damage ecosystems I live in South Asia which is home of the Hindu Kash karakorum and Himalayan mountain range is the third pole the large third largest collection of fresh water in the world which supplies up to 16 transboundary Rivers which could dry up as a result leading to water availability shortages for agriculture for energy uh and also for domestic consumption so can I just interrupt you because that’s really really a I mean that’s a big deal isn’t it you’re saying that thousands millions of people could be without water within the coming years is that right yes that we Face extreme water shortages going forward uh isod has reported that if we reach two degrees of global warming which scientists say that we will by the middle of this Century up to 65% of those glaciers can melt uh beyond that we have heat waves in urban areas I live in Pakistan where in 2014 a onewe heat wave claimed over a thousand lives and unless we start doing things to make sure urban areas especially have Heatwave management plans and you know protections for their citizens I’m afraid millions of people people could be at risk of increasing temperatures so Rafa what is it that governments need to be doing now to tackle this climate crisis well first and foremost governments around the world have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions the the the gases that trap the sun’s heat in the atmosphere and cause global warming uh but I don’t know whether we can do this because presently there’s enough greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to lock in a 1.5 degree temperature increase by the end of this decade that said we must take measures now to protect people and animals and ecosystems from Devastation uh for example for crops we need to have heat resistant seeds developed by scientists and in urban areas as I mentioned Heatwave management plans you know places for people to go where there shade and shelter and beyond that also electricity to provide for climate cooling we need to change the way our cities are designed so that there’s less cement being used in more trees and shade and can I ask you Raa I mean industrialized countries are responsible for the majority of greenhouse gases are they doing enough to help the more vulnerable developing countries well the United Nations framework convention on climate change was signed in 1992 with the objective of stabilizing greenhouse gas emissions and unfortunately we on earth have produced more greenhouse gases since than we have in all of history before we know that industrialized nations uh you know industrialized economies the glob North for the majority of historical greenhouse gas emissions and these countries have failed to live up their Pro to their Promises to the International Community to reduce their greenhouse gases and beyond that to provide poorer countries with the climate Finance necessary so that they can prepare and adapt to the oncoming climate challenges that they face there seems to be plenty of money for Warfare foran for Ukraine for Israel but not for climate change and for climate resilience projects rafhael Alam Environmental Lawyer and climate activist thank you so much for your time today for

A record-breaking heat wave is sweeping across parts of southern and eastern Asia. Many countries have recorded the hottest April on record. Millions of people are still battling the punishing heat and soaring temperatures have forced school closures in some regions. Authorities are taking other precautionary measures for citizens to avoid heat stroke and dehydration. DW spoke to environmental lawyer and climate activist Rafay Alam.

00:00 Intro and report
02:15 Interview Rafay Alam, Lawyer and climate activist

#heatwaves #southasia #climatechangeimpact
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23 comments

  2. You need concrete slabs need to rivers and some inches above the water then find the best place to live because it will flood from rain

  5. Think that the cost of living is getting worse, wait till the cost of coping with climate change reaches 100's of trillions and 10's of millions of extra deaths. 😂

  7. People may need to consider living in shelters below ground to keep cool. Don't rely upon our governments to prevent climate change.

  8. The 'Wet Bulb' is coming, the fish were just a start but nothing to do with the wet bulb, when the wet bulb temperature arrives 35°C at 100% humidity, then a fan will not cool a Human even if stood in front of it naked⚠

  10. The guy lives in hope, you may have heat resistant seeds but not enough water and soil to grow them, may be all these countries suffering should look at how many offspring they have, eg if it is hard to feed two children, then why breed and have another eight children FFS.
    I guess economics was not their forte !

  11. Fools still do not believe , planet is heading for close.

    There is nothing left on the planet, except kids , for it to sustain. Data roaring, planet going for annhilation, humans became fully harmers to the planet eco system in every way.

    When pure good is killed, planet gets killed. Cosmos dont allow evil to stay for longer. It fetches calamity to close the planet.

    Remind you, we are real, our rumning workd is real , so as the lord abd his mystical powers like earth standing ritating revolving and billions earths stars etc., And our nect next lives all real..

  12. Only way you reverse or stop planet annhilation is by stopping slaughter houses production. Cosmos act accordingly.

  14. It seems that he is hinting that the United States should pay for climate change in his country.

  17. When China is pushing for Solar panels, EV cars, Wind Turbine, Batteries, Led light and Hydro Powers, Western world calls it "Over Capacity".😆

    70% of China’s energy were imported, down from historical high of 95%.

    In 20 years time, China should achieved Zero CO2 emission, faster than US and EU.

  20. Apart from all the fossil fuels being used , people don't realize how much deforestation plays a critical role in stabilizing the earth's climate and temperature.

  23. For the people that did not know the reason why the UN chose 1,5 degrees limit and also warned us to absolutely not reach the 2 degree world average tempearature. That is because we have multiple tipping points innthe World, one of them is the Great Barrier Reef, an other is the West Antarctica Sheet. If we reach 1,5 or especially the 2 degree increase we we can active these tipping points and they can react with each other and lead to irrerversible effects and make the Earth unhabitable for ever

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