The deadly heat waves will hit most parts of the world three times more often in the coming decades and the world must attach greater importance to the adverse impact of extreme heat on human lives and economy.
Talking to a delegation of environmentalists led by Prof Dr Sajid Rashid Ahmad, Principal, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Punjab University here on Sunday, Coordinator to Federal Tax Ombudsman Meher Kashif Younis said that facing the extreme heat, the world should vigorously build heat-resilient societies and strive to create a more sustainable and healthy future with combined endeavors by the comity of nations.
He said that priority in heat adaptations varies by country and region, and the current global responses to intensifying extreme heat remain largely spontaneous and incremental.
Adapting to climate change in a Post-Pandemic World, he pointed out the insufficiency in adaption planning, financing and implementation worldwide. He said agricultural production has also suffered because of droughts, raising concerns over food insecurity in some countries and regions. He warned all these highlights the vulnerability of the world to heat waves.
Meher Kashif Younis said humanity’s response to climate change has not achieved the desired results including Pakistan. He said not only are the efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change sluggish but also climate change adaptation actions lag far behind what is needed.
Meher Kashif Younis who excels expertise in various sectors including environment, said that it was obvious that humanity was not fully prepared for the extreme heat and many countries were caught off guard by the scorching heat which has taken a heavy toll on the people’s health. He cautioned that unprecedented high temperatures have been reported around the world,even in the Arctic region.
He said this summer, temperatures in the UK exceeded 40C since records began, prompting the government to issue the highest-level warning and declare a national climate emergency. And in China, an unusual heat wave persisted for more than 70 days,with temperatures in some parts of the western region soaring to 45C and even the lowest night-time temperatures hitting 34C which has never happened before in the country and the world, he alerted.
He said that the research of International Labour Organization (ILO) had predicted the GDP losses by high temperatures will continue to increase gradually worldwide and exposure to extreme heat could make it deadly for even the healthiest of the people to stay outdoors for a few years. He pointed out that in many countries including Pakistan and South Asia, there was lack of facilities needed to cope with high temperatures and heat-inducted water shortages made it difficult for the people to access drinking water,he concluded.
