A World Weather Attribution (WWA) report released on Tuesday said severe heatwaves this year in India and Pakistan have killed at least 90 people, caused glacial floods and forest fires, and reduced India’s wheat harvests. Production decreased by 20%.
“Due to climate change, the probability of such an event has increased by almost 30 times in 2022,” the study said.
“With future climate warming, heatwaves will become more common and warmer. If the global mean temperature reaches 2 °C, heat waves will be two to twenty times more likely and 0.5 to 1.5 degrees warmer, which We’ve seen that in the 2022 heatwave event.” ,
“In Pakistan and India, extreme heat hits hardest for those who have to go outside to earn daily wages (eg street vendors, construction and farm workers, traffic police), and consequently have constant electricity at home. and lack access to cooling, limiting their options. to deal with prolonged heat stress,” the report said.
A particularly alarming effect of these unnaturally early and prolonged warm conditions was the effect on wheat crops and yields in northwestern India and southern Pakistan, where the wheat harvest season lasts from February to May.
During the last period of the growing season, extreme heat struck at a critical time, causing widespread damage to agricultural production.
Extreme heat affects productivity, impairs economic output and has the potential to increase poverty.
“The populations of India and Pakistan are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat as nearly 60% of India’s workforce and about 40% of workers in Pakistan are in agriculture, where the bulk of labor is outside, making it difficult for millions to work. Is. during the dangerous heat or while giving up their livelihood,” the report said.
“Early numbers indicate a 20% reduction in wheat yield across India this year due to terminal heat and heat waves. An export ban on wheat from India based on concerns about domestic food security is adding to already strained global food prices and a tight market in view of Ukraine’s war on food security.
“Although some losses will inevitably occur due to extreme heat, it is misleading to assume that the effects are inevitable. Adaptation to extreme heat can be effective in reducing mortality.
“Summer action plans that include early warning and early action, awareness-raising and behavior-changing messages, and supportive public services can reduce mortality, and India’s rollout has been remarkable, which is now 130,” the report said. covering cities and towns.”
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the month of March was the warmest in India since records began 122 years ago.
About 300 major forest fires broke out in the country, of which a third was in Uttarakhand.