Asia’s Killer April Heat Wave Was Made Much Worse by Climate Change
An international group of scientists used computer models and ground observations to study the impact of global warming on the extreme temperatures.
A man uses cardboard paper to shade from the sun in Bangkok.
Photographer: Andre Malerba/BloombergThe April heat wave that swept through Asia, bringing temperatures as high as 46C (115F) in some places, was much more severe and likely to occur than it would have been in a world without climate change, scientists have concluded.
Extreme heat affected hundreds of millions across the region last month, adding to the plight of 1.7 million people displaced by the war in Gaza as well as those without access to cooling. Hundreds of people died from heat-related causes, although more fatalities were likely to have gone unreported, according to the researchers.