Southeast Asia is in a 'pan of fire', rewriting climate history

Inside the small classroom, 50 teenagers are trying to concentrate. One of the two ceiling fans was broken and the standing fans only reached a small number of students.

"Imagine all 50 people sharing that many fans," said Heart Cona, an 11th grader in General Santos City, Philippines, where a severe heat wave has pushed temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. It's like standing under the blazing sun on a summer day, except the heat lasts from morning to night."

The 17-year-old girl described the heat as making her "melt". "Standing in the shade doesn't help because hot air always surrounds us."

 Across South and Southeast Asia, a weeks-long heatwave is causing schools to close. (Illustration).

The heat not only gave Heart and his classmates headaches and heatstroke, but also threw schoolwork into "chaos" as in-person classes were frequently canceled due to the heat.

According to analysts, the Philippines is not alone. Across South and Southeast Asia, a weeks-long heatwave is closing schools, claiming dozens of lives, and rewriting the region's climate history.

Maximiliano Herrera, climatologist and weather historian, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "Hundreds of records have been broken across Asia. We are witnessing something unprecedented in three centuries of climatology".

"Absolutely crazy"

New records are being set everywhere. Temperatures in some areas in Laos reached a new high of 43.2 degrees Celsius, while Myanmar had temperatures exceeding 44 degrees Celsius.

In Thailand , things have gone 'absolutely crazy' , with records 'being broken every day', Mr Herrara said. The highest temperature of 44.2 degrees Celsius was recorded in the northern Lampang region and temperatures rose above 43 degrees Celsius in 16 provinces.

But temperature alone does not represent the intensity of the weather. Humidity must also be taken into account, a factor that affects the heat index (the temperature felt by the human body). When humidity is high, it is much harder for our bodies to stay cool because it hinders the evaporation of sweat. This can lead to exhaustion, heat stroke and death.

Cramps and exhaustion 'may occur' if the heat index reaches 40 degrees Celsius , above 50 degrees Celsius is considered 'very dangerous', with a risk of heatstroke. Older people are especially vulnerable because their organs that regulate internal body temperature are less effective than younger people.

In the Philippines - where the government has canceled in-person classes at 47,000 schools - the heat index recorded on April 28 in Iba city was 53 degrees Celsius.

Temperatures continuously reach record highs in Thailand.

Meanwhile in Bangkok - where air-conditioned shopping centers are concentrated, sun umbrellas are hot items - the heat index reached 52 degrees Celsius this week.

"The entire Indo-Pacific region is on fire," said Dr. Roxy Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology .

Professor Theepakorn Jithitikulchai, an economist and climate expert at Thammasat University in Bangkok, said April is a hot time in the region, but this year the El Nino weather phenomenon has " pushed temperatures to high levels". record".

El Nino also contributes to reduced rainfall, potentially leading to drought, he added .

According to the World Meteorological Organization's latest report released last month, Asia is warming faster than the global average - nearly twice as much since 1961-1990. The agency added that the continent is 'the region most affected by weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023'.

Nicholas Rees, climate change program director at UNICEF's East Asia and Pacific regional office in Bangkok, said: "Unfortunately, the world, including Southeast Asia, is not prepared for these upcoming impacts. It will take a large-scale collective effort to establish the necessary systems to manage the impacts of climate change."

Widen the distance

With limited resources and funding to address these issues, there are concerns that many areas' infrastructure will struggle. In addition, high temperatures will also worsen inequality.

While the wealthy work in air-conditioned offices, study in air-conditioned schools and live in cool homes with air-conditioning, this is not available or unaffordable for difficult group.

Ann, 51, who sells lottery tickets on the side of busy Phahonyothin Road in western Bangkok, said: "I've never experienced this before. I feel like I'm sitting with a hairdryer on hot mode. ". With two children at home, she had no choice but to work in the hot weather.

"It's hard to sit here all day with this temperature," she said, holding a colorful rattan fan.

High temperatures have also been shown to slow down the brain's cognitive function. In a 2020 study in the US, researchers found that students performed worse on standardized tests if they were exposed to high temperatures in the year before the exam.

Many people are forced to work outdoors, under extremely hot weather.

The study concluded that a school year that was 0.55 degrees Celsius warmer was associated with a 1% drop in learning outcomes that year - an effect that could have been almost completely eliminated if classrooms had air conditioning.

" Climate change will widen the learning gap between hot and cool countries ," said Josh Goodman, an economist at Boston University and co-author of the study.

Jay-Em Estrella, a science teacher at a private school in Quezon City, Philippines, completely agrees. While his classes were struggling, the situation in public schools that depended on the fans was even worse. He is concerned about the long-term consequences for human development.

"We have just recovered from the lockdown. and now classes are being suspended again. The education system has gone backwards and now the heat is like adding another dent to an already full car." scratches ," Estrella said.