Record May Heat Scorches North, Central China
Swathes of northern and central China are sweltering this week under record May heat, state media reported Tuesday, as the country braces for another summer of extreme temperatures.
China has endured spates of extreme weather events, from soaring temperatures to drought, downpours and floods, for several summers running.
The country is the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, but also a renewable energy powerhouse seeking to cut carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2060.
State broadcaster CCTV reported Tuesday that multiple cities logged all-time May highs this week as the mercury rose well above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
They included Zhengzhou, a metropolis of 13 million people in central Henan province, which saw a high of 41C on Monday, AFP quoted CCTV as saying.
In nearby Linzhou, temperatures rose to 43.2C, while the small city of Shahe in northern Hebei province logged 42.9C, the national weather office said in a social media post on Monday.
As of 4 pm (0800 GMT) on Monday, 99 weather stations nationwide had matched or exceeded previous temperature records for May, the weather office said.
But it said the extreme heat was set to dissipate by Friday, adding that some areas would see rapid drops of up to 15C.
It urged people to "add extra layers of clothing in a timely way as the weather changes, (to avoid) catching a cold".
Last year, dozens of people were killed and thousands evacuated during storms across China that caused severe flooding.
The country is the biggest global producer of the greenhouse gases scientists say drive climate change and make extreme weather more frequent and intense.
Beijing aims to bring carbon emissions to a peak this decade ahead of sharp cuts through to 2060, and has dramatically ramped up wind and solar energy installations in recent years as it seeks to wean its huge economy off highly polluting coal.
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Asharq Al-Awsat
12 hours ago
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School's Out: Climate Change Keeps Pakistan Students Home
Pakistan's children are losing weeks of education each year to school closures caused by climate change-linked extreme weather, prompting calls for a radical rethink of learning schedules. Searing heat, toxic smog and unusual cold snaps have all caused closures that are meant to spare children the health risks of learning in classrooms that are often overcrowded and lack basic cooling, heating or ventilation systems. In May, a nationwide heatwave saw temperatures up to seven degrees Celsius above normal, hitting 45C (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in Punjab and prompting several provinces to cut school hours or start summer holidays early. "The class becomes so hot that it feels like we are sitting in a brick kiln," said 17-year-old Hafiz Ehtesham outside an inner-city Lahore school. "I don't even want to come to school." Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with limited resources for adaptation, and extreme weather is compounding an existing education crisis caused mostly by access and poverty. "Soon we will have major cognitive challenges because students are being impacted by extreme heat and extreme smog over long periods of time," said Lahore-based education activist Baela Raza Jamil. "The poorest are most vulnerable. But climate change is indeed a great leveler and the urban middle class is also affected." Pakistan's summers historically began in June, when temperatures hit the high 40s. But in the last five years, May has been similarly hot, according to the Meteorological Department. "During a power outage, I was sweating so much that the drops were falling off my forehead onto my desk," 15-year-old Jannat, a student in Lahore, told AFP. "A girl in my class had a nosebleed from the heat." - Health versus learning - Around a third of Pakistani school-age children -- over 26 million -- are out of school, according to government figures, one of the highest numbers in the world. And 65 percent of children are unable to read age-appropriate material by age 10. School closures affect almost every part of Pakistan, including the country's most populous province Punjab, which has the highest rates of school attendance. Classes closed for two weeks in November over air pollution, and another week in May because of heat. In the previous academic year, three weeks were lost in January to a cold snap and two weeks in May due to heat. Political unrest and cricket matches that closed roads meant more lost days. In Balochistan, Pakistan's poorest province, May heatwaves have prompted early summer vacations for three years running, while in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, school hours are regularly slashed. For authorities, the choice is often between sending children to school in potentially dangerous conditions or watching them fall behind. In southern Sindh province, authorities have resisted heat-related closures despite growing demands from parents. "It's hard for parents to send their children to school in this kind of weather," private school principal Sadiq Hussain told AFP in Karachi, adding that attendance drops by 25 percent in May. "Their physical and mental health is being affected," added Dost Mohammad Danish, general secretary of All Sindh Private Schools and Colleges Association. "Don't expect better scientists from Pakistan in the coming years." - 'Everyone is suffering' - Schools in Pakistan are overseen by provincial authorities, whose closure notices apply to all schools in a region, even when they are hundreds of kilometers (miles) apart and may be experiencing different conditions, or have different resources to cope. Teachers, parents and education experts want a rethink of school hours, exam timetables and vacations, with schools able to offer Saturday classes or split the school day to avoid the midday heat. Izza Farrakh, a senior education specialist at the World Bank, said climate change-related impacts are affecting attendance and learning outcomes. "Schools need to have flexibility in determining their academic calendar. It shouldn't be centralized," she said, adding that end-of-year exams usually taken in May could be replaced by regular assessments throughout the year. Adapting school buildings is also crucial. International development agencies have already equipped thousands of schools with solar panels, but many more of the country's 250,000 schools need help. Hundreds of climate-resilient schools funded by World Bank loans are being built in Sindh. They are elevated to withstand monsoon flooding, and fitted with solar panels for power and rooftop insulation to combat heat and cold. But in Pakistan's most impoverished villages, where education is a route out of generational poverty, parents still face tough choices. In rural Sukkur, the local school was among 27,000 damaged or destroyed by unprecedented 2022 floods. Children learn outside their half-collapsed school building, unprotected from the elements. "Our children are worried, and we are deeply concerned," said parent Ali Gohar Gandhu, a daily wage laborer. "Everyone is suffering."
Arab News
16 hours ago
- Arab News
School's out: Climate change keeps Pakistan students home
LAHORE: Pakistan's children are losing weeks of education each year to school closures caused by climate change-linked extreme weather, prompting calls for a radical rethink of learning schedules. Searing heat, toxic smog and unusual cold snaps have all caused closures that are meant to spare children the health risks of learning in classrooms that are often overcrowded and lack basic cooling, heating or ventilation systems. In May, a nationwide heatwave saw temperatures up to seven degrees Celsius above normal, hitting 45C (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in Punjab and prompting several provinces to cut school hours or start summer holidays early. 'The class becomes so hot that it feels like we are sitting in a brick kiln,' said 17-year-old Hafiz Ehtesham outside an inner city Lahore school. 'I don't even want to come to school.' Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with limited resources for adaptation, and extreme weather is compounding an existing education crisis caused mostly by access and poverty. 'Soon we will have major cognitive challenges because students are being impacted by extreme heat and extreme smog over long periods of time,' said Lahore-based education activist Baela Raza Jamil. 'The poorest are most vulnerable. But climate change is indeed a great leveller and the urban middle class is also affected.' Pakistan's summers historically began in June, when temperatures hit the high 40s. But in the last five years, May has been similarly hot, according to the Meteorological Department. 'During a power outage, I was sweating so much that the drops were falling off my forehead onto my desk,' 15-year-old Jannat, a student in Lahore, told AFP. 'A girl in my class had a nosebleed from the heat.' Around a third of Pakistani school-age children — over 26 million — are out of school, according to government figures, one of the highest numbers in the world. And 65 percent of children are unable to read age-appropriate material by age 10. School closures affect almost every part of Pakistan, including the country's most populous province Punjab, which has the highest rates of school attendance. Classes closed for two weeks in November over air pollution, and another week in May because of heat. In the previous academic year, three weeks were lost in January to a cold snap and two weeks in May due to heat. Political unrest and cricket matches that closed roads meant more lost days. In Balochistan, Pakistan's poorest province, May heatwaves have prompted early summer vacations for three years running, while in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, school hours are regularly slashed. For authorities, the choice is often between sending children to school in potentially dangerous conditions or watching them fall behind. In southern Sindh province, authorities have resisted heat-related closures despite growing demands from parents. 'It's hard for parents to send their children to school in this kind of weather,' private school principal Sadiq Hussain told AFP in Karachi, adding that attendance drops by 25 percent in May. 'Their physical and mental health is being affected,' added Dost Mohammad Danish, general secretary of All Sindh Private Schools and Colleges Association. 'Don't expect better scientists from Pakistan in the coming years.' Schools in Pakistan are overseen by provincial authorities, whose closure notices apply to all schools in a region, even when they are hundreds of kilometers (miles) apart and may be experiencing different conditions, or have different resources to cope. Teachers, parents and education experts want a rethink of school hours, exam timetables and vacations, with schools able to offer Saturday classes or split the school day to avoid the midday heat. Izza Farrakh, a senior education specialist at the World Bank, said climate change-related impacts are affecting attendance and learning outcomes. 'Schools need to have flexibility in determining their academic calendar. It shouldn't be centralized,' she said, adding that end-of-year exams usually taken in May could be replaced by regular assessments throughout the year. Adapting school buildings is also crucial. International development agencies have already equipped thousands of schools with solar panels, but many more of the country's 250,000 schools need help. Hundreds of climate-resilient schools funded by World Bank loans are being built in Sindh. They are elevated to withstand monsoon flooding, and fitted with solar panels for power and rooftop insulation to combat heat and cold. But in Pakistan's most impoverished villages, where education is a route out of generational poverty, parents still face tough choices. In rural Sukkur, the local school was among 27,000 damaged or destroyed by unprecedented 2022 floods. Children learn outside their half-collapsed school building, unprotected from the elements. 'Our children are worried, and we are deeply concerned,' said parent Ali Gohar Gandhu, a daily wage laborer. 'Everyone is suffering.'
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Pakistan's Met Office forecasts ‘severe' heatwave during Eid Al-Adha holidays
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Thursday forecast a 'severe' heatwave in the country during the Eid Al-Adha holidays from June 7 to 12, urging the public to take precautionary measures. Pakistan ranks among the top ten countries most vulnerable to climate change and has faced increasingly frequent extreme weather events in recent years, including deadly heatwaves and devastating floods. 'Met Office predicted that high pressure is likely to develop over the country on June 7 and is expected to grip most parts from June 8,' the PMD said in a statement. 'Day temperatures are likely to remain 5°C to 7°C above normal in the upper half (central & upper Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan) from June 7 to June 12.' Dust storms and gusty winds are expected across the plains of the country due to intense heat, it added. The Met Office advised women, the elderly and children to avoid direct sunlight during the day and stay hydrated at all times as precautionary moves. Farmers were urged to manage their crop activities according to the latest weather conditions and to take care of their livestock. The Met Office urged authorities to remain vigilant and take necessary measures to prevent any adverse situations arising from the heatwave conditions. Pakistan experienced its most recent heatwave in May but no loss of life was reported. In June 2024, nearly 700 people died in less than a week during a severe heatwave in the country, with most fatalities reported in the port city of Karachi and other parts of the southern Sindh province. A similar heatwave in 2015 claimed over 2,000 lives in Pakistan's largest city Karachi alone, while catastrophic floods in 2022 left more than 1,700 people dead and displaced over 33 million across the country.
