India, Pakistan Must Brace For Even Worse Heatwaves: Climate Scientists
NDTV
In India and Pakistan, "more intense heat waves of longer durations and occurring at a higher frequency are projected," the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in a report.
The devastating heatwave that gripped India and Pakistan over the last two months is unprecedented, but worse -- perhaps far worse -- is on the horizon as climate change continues apace, top climate scientists told AFP.
Even without additional global warming South Asia is, statistically speaking, ripe for a "big one" in the same way that California is said to be overdue for a major earthquake, according to research published this week.
Extreme heat across much of India and neighbouring Pakistan in March and April exposed more than a billion people to scorching temperatures well above 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). The hottest part of the year is yet to come.
"This heatwave is likely to kill thousands," tweeted Robert Rohde, lead scientist at Berkeley Earth, a climate science research non-profit.
