Tag: heatwave

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Environment India News

Delhi power demand hits 8,647 MW amid heatwaves

Delhi’s peak power demand first hit 8000 MW on May 22, 2024, and has surpassed this mark 8 times since…reports Asian Lite News

The extreme heatwave continues to push Delhi’s power demand northwards. According to the State Load Dispatch Centre data, at 3:22 PM on Tuesday, Delhi’s peak power demand clocked 8,647 MW. It is the highest ever in the history of the national capital.

Delhi’s peak power demand clocked 8000 MW for the first time on May 22, 2024. Since then, Delhi’s peak power demand has crossed the 8000 MW mark on 8 occasions.

Before the records of 2024, Delhi’s previous high of 7695 MW was recorded on June 29, 2022.

Last year, Delhi’s peak power demand was 7438 MW. Tuesday marks the 30th day in a row when Delhi’s peak power demand has crossed the 7000 MW mark. Delhi’s peak power demand never crossed 7000 MW during the month of May 2023 and crossed the 7000 MW mark in May only once in 2022.

It is also important to remember that barring last year, when Delhi’s demand peaked in August, it usually peaks during late June and early July. But the trend has changed this year. The surge in power demand can be attributed to weather conditions that led residents to use more air conditioning and coolers, leading to an increase in electricity consumption.

The Ministry of Power has also undertaken comprehensive measures to meet the highest ever peak national power demand of 250 GW during the ongoing summer season, amidst challenging weather conditions across the country.

According to a Ministry of Power press release, on June 17, 2024, the Northern Region alone recorded its highest peak demand of 89 GW, which was successfully met despite the prevailing heatwave.

The unprecedented demand in the Northern Region, exacerbated by a prolonged heatwave since mid-May, prompted the Ministry to implement a strategic approach to ensure uninterrupted power supply. Notably, the region managed to meet its peak demand by leveraging inter-regional power imports, accounting for 25 to 30 per cent of the total requirement. (ANI)

Power ministry asks utilities to be on alert

Ministry of Power has undertaken comprehensive measures to meet the highest ever peak power demand of 250 GW during the ongoing summer season, amidst challenging weather conditions across the country.

According to Ministry of Power press release, on June 17, 2024, the Northern Region alone recorded its highest peak demand of 89 GW, which was successfully met despite the prevailing heat wave.

The unprecedented demand in the Northern Region, exacerbated by a prolonged heat wave since mid-May, prompted the Ministry to implement a strategic approach to ensure uninterrupted power supply.

Notably, the region managed to meet its peak demand by leveraging inter-regional power imports, accounting for 25 to 30% of the total requirement.

Directives have been issued to Imported Coal Based (ICB) plants to maintain continuous generation support. This measure is to stabilize power availability by utilizing coal resources efficiently.

To enhance power generation capacity during peak demand periods, the Ministry has optimized maintenance schedules for generating units.

Efforts are focused on minimizing forced and partial outages across thermal and hydro power stations to ensure maximum operational uptime.

Hydroelectric stations have been advised to conserve water during peak solar hours and maximize generation during non-solar hours.

This strategic management aims to balance the grid load effectively and sustain power availability throughout the day.

In a bid to augment power supply, gas-based power plants have been directed to provide continuous grid support under Section 11 of the Electricity Act, 2003.

Additionally, approximately 860 MW of additional non-NTPC gas-based capacity has been secured through competitive bidding specifically for the summer season.

The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has also readied around 5000 MW of its gas-based capacity to meet immediate system requirements.

To optimize surplus power availability, un-requisitioned power from generating stations is being made available through market mechanisms.

Furthermore, states have been encouraged to utilize the PUShP portal to tie up with surplus power capacities available in other regions, ensuring efficient utilization of resources.

Looking ahead, the Ministry of Power remains vigilant as heat wave conditions in North-West India are forecasted to ease from 20th June onwards, potentially alleviating strain on power demand.

However, the strategic measures implemented during this period are expected to strengthen the resilience of India’s power infrastructure against future climatic challenges. (ANI)

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-Top News Europe

Greece shuts schools and Acropolis as heatwave hits

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Many primary schools and nurseries across the country have been told to close for two days. Greece is one of the European countries most affected by the climate crisis…reports Asian Lite News

Greece has shut the site of the ancient Acropolis to tourists, closed schools and stationed medics across Athens as it faces the first heatwave of the summer.

Temperatures were expected to hit 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday and Thursday in parts of the Mediterranean country, driven by southerly winds bringing hot air and dust from North Africa.

The Acropolis hill, which includes the Parthenon temple and is one of the world’s most famous archaeological sites, was closed from noon to 5pm (09:00-14:00 GMT) on Wednesday, and Red Cross staff handed out bottles of water to tourists.

Many primary schools and nurseries across the country have been told to close for two days. Greece is one of the European countries most affected by the climate crisis.

Last year, rising temperatures fuelled deadly wildfires, and erratic rains caused some of the worst flooding on record, both of which damaged crops and livelihoods.

Similar conditions were seen last year across much of southern Europe, including Portugal, France, Spain and Italy where fires led to dozens of deaths. In Greece, fires began earlier than expected this year, including one in March.

Firefighters and police were patrolling forests from air and land on Wednesday, ahead of what is expected to be a windy end to the week, raising the risk of fires spreading.

After last year’s destructive wildfires, including on the island of Rhodes, which prompted the biggest evacuation in peacetime, Greece has scaled up its preparations by hiring more staff and stepping up training.

Drones with thermal cameras were being used in Athens to coordinate the public health response, officials said.

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Environment India News

Heatwave likely across South India: IMD

The most prone areas to increased heatwaves are Gujarat, Maharashtra, North Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, North Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh…reports Asian Lite News

As the country battles scorching heat and the arrival of summer, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a possible heatwave in multiple states across South India.

The weather agency predicted heatwave conditions over peninsular India from April 3 to April 6.

Hot and humid weather is very likely to prevail over Coastal Karnataka, Kerala & Mahe, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry & Karaikal, from April 2 to April 6, over Telangana, South Interior Karnataka from April 2 to April 4 and over Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam and Rayalaseema on April 2 and April 3.

The IMD said heatwave conditions are very likely in isolated pockets in north interior Karnataka this week, from April 3 to April 5. Further, parts of Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh are also expected to experience heatwave conditions.

It also predicted above normal heatwaves in most parts of the northern plains of the country from April to June.

The most prone areas to increased heatwaves are Gujarat, Maharashtra, North Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, North Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

The Director General of Meteorology at IMD, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, said at a press briefing that normal rainfall is also expected during the month of April across the country.

He was addressing a briefing on the seasonal outlook for the hot weather season of April to June.

“Above normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country, especially with high probability over central India and western peninsular India,” Mohapatra said.

Mohapatra informed that normal to below-normal maximum temperatures are likely to occur in some parts of the western Himalayan region, north-east states and north Odisha.

On heatwave conditions, Mohapatra said: “Above normal heatwave days are likely over most parts in the country. 10 to 20 days of heat wave expected in different parts against normal of 4 to 8 days.” (ANI)

ALSO READ-Italy bracing for flood risks in north, heatwaves in south

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-Top News Europe

Italy bracing for flood risks in north, heatwaves in south

In the south, October saw unseasonal high temperatures surpassing 35 degrees Celsius on multiple occasions…reports Asian Lite News

Italy has been bracing for the latest round of extreme weather, with heavy rains and potential flooding forecast for large parts of central and northern Italy. Meanwhile, high temperatures were predicted in the south.

Italian civil protection officials on Wednesday said that two thunderstorm systems would be moving over the country this week, resulting in red alerts for flooding in the northeastern regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Orange alerts have been issued across large parts of northwestern and central Italy, including Milan.

The coming thunderstorms are likely to spark floods that could close roads, interrupt commercial and passenger sea transport, and damage crops. The forecast comes after several days of heavy rainfall over much of northern Italy.

Additionally, the canal city of Venice has been repeatedly threatened by sea levels up to 1.54 meters above normal levels, but significant damage was averted due to the city’s high-tech flood barriers.

In the south, October saw unseasonal high temperatures surpassing 35 degrees Celsius on multiple occasions. In Sicily, although October temperatures were cooler than the all-time high recorded in July and August, the averages in some parts of the island were nearly ten degrees higher than historical norms, local reports said.

The weather in Sicily has also been unusually dry and multiple wildfires were reported this week, following widespread fires throughout the long and dry summer.

Italian agricultural union Coldiretti said earlier this week that the high temperatures in August and the predicted thunderstorms were bad news for the agricultural sector. The olive harvest, which this year suffered from a one-third reduction due to the hot and dry summer, could see low production again next year due to the extreme weather in fall and winter.

The agricultural group said that repeated bouts of unpredictable weather this year have reduced wheat production by a tenth, while cherry production was 60 percent lower than normal, and the honey harvest was 70 percent below last year’s levels.

Over the last 18 months, Italy has suffered from a string of extreme weather events, ranging from record-high temperatures and drought in the summer months of 2022 and 2023, to wildfires, floods, landslides, hail and severe winds.

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-Top News Environment USA

Heatwave kills 17 in Southern US

heatwave.

It is unknown whether the bodies are those of migrants…reports Asian Lite News

At least 17 people have died from heat-related illnesses as a severe heat wave continued in Texas while spreading into other parts of the southern US.

In Webb County, southern Texas, medical examiner Corinne Stern said that 11 residents over the age of 60 have died due to the abnormal heat, reports Xinhua news agency.

“This is heat like we’ve not seen here before,” said Stern,

“Deaths due to heat stroke are ruled as accidents, and accidents, by definition, are preventable deaths. All these deaths could have been prevented.”

A 14-year-old boy from Florida died of heat-related fatigue in Big Bend National Park in Texas, when temperatures there rose to 48 degrees Celsius, the second-highest mark ever recorded in the state.

Also among the confirmed victims were a 17-year-old hiker, a utility lineman, a postal worker all from Texas and two residents in the coastal state of Louisiana, local media reported.

A Texas Tribune report said that since the heat wave gripped the state, at least nine inmates, including two men in their 30s, have died of heart attacks or unknown causes in prisons lacking air conditioning.

It has been 11 years since the state’s prison system last classified a death as heat-related.

According to Stern, the number of heat-related deaths also rose near the US-Mexico border in the past few weeks.

Five bodies have been found since last week in a desert close to the Mexican border and near human smuggling zones in the Sunland Park area, New Mexico, the El Paso Times reported.

It is unknown whether the bodies are those of migrants.

The US National Weather Service forecast temperatures will likely reach 43 to 46 degrees on Thursday and Friday in Texas as the heat spreads into Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas and Oklahoma.

More than 150 heat records could be broken during the next six days.

Power use in Texas hit an all-time high on Tuesday and is expected to set a new record in the coming days, said the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which is in charge of the state’s grid.

More than 120 million people in the US were under various heat safety alerts on Wednesday, according to heat.gov, the web portal for the country’s National Integrated Heat Health Information System.

Climate change is widely blamed for causing heat waves to be more intense, longer-lasting and more frequent. 

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-Top News China

Beijing soars above 40 degrees, issues ‘Orange alert’

China has a three-tier, colour-coded warning system for high temperatures, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange and yellow…reports Asian Lite News

China’s National Meteorological Centre has issued this year’s first orange alert — the second-highest — for high temperatures, as a scorching heat wave ha hits multiple regions of the country.

During daylight hours on Friday, temperatures in areas including north China and regions along the Yellow and Huaihe rivers are expected to remain over 35 degrees Celsius, Xinhua news agency quoted the Centre as saying.

According to the forecast, temperatures in some areas of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Shandong could soar to around 40 degrees Celsius.

From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, temperatures in parts of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Shandong increased rapidly, with the highest over 40 degrees Celsius.

A total of 17 national meteorological observatories located in these four provincial-level regions reported record-high temperatures.

The temperature at a meteorological station in southern Beijing soared to 41.1 degrees Celsius at 3.19 p.m. Thursday — the second-highest reading since reliable records began, according to the Beijing Meteorological Service.

The highest temperature ever recorded at the Nanjiao station was 41.9 degrees Celsius on July 24, 1999.

China has a three-tier, colour-coded warning system for high temperatures, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange and yellow.

Beijing issued an orange alert for high temperatures at 9 a.m. Thursday, and forecast that the heat wave will scorch vast regions of the capital city until Saturday.

On Thursday afternoon, Hebei upgraded emergency responses to high temperatures, issuing a red alert as temperatures in the cities of Langfang, Cangzhou and Hengshui, as well as parts of the cities of Baoding, Shijiazhuang and Xingtai, were expected to reach 40 to 42 degrees Celsius on Friday.

In the next 10 days, places including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Henan, Shandong and Inner Mongolia will face medium-level risks of high temperatures, the demand for electricity and energy will surge, and outdoor activities may lead to heat stroke, said Zhang Fanghua, chief forecaster of the National Meteorological Centre.

Efforts should be made in preventing heat stroke and ensuring energy supply, Zhang said, suggesting people take health protection measures when taking part in outdoor activities or working in the field.

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-Top News Asia News China

Heat wave hits Beijing hard

As the heat wave continues to scorch the city, temperatures in most parts of Beijing will reach 37 to 39 degrees Celsius on Friday and Saturday…reports Asian Lite News

On Friday, the Chinese capital of Beijing renewed an orange alert for high temperatures, with the day’s maximum temperature expected to reach 39 degrees Celsius amid an ongoing heat wave, according to local weather authorities.

As the heat wave continues to scorch the city, temperatures in most parts of Beijing will reach 37 to 39 degrees Celsius on Friday and Saturday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Beijing will record an even higher ground temperature during the scorching heat.

“The road surface temperature will reach more than 50 degrees Celsius, which can easily cause road damage, vehicle tire blowout, spontaneous combustion and other traffic accidents,” said Lei Lei, chief forecaster of the municipality’s meteorological observatory.

A child plays with a toy water gun amid high temperature at a park in Xuhui District of east China’s Shanghai, July 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang/IANS)

This week, more than 2 million sq.km of regions in China, covering Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Henan and Shandong, have been gripped by the sweltering weather, with days of high temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius.

On Friday, China’s national observatory also renewed a yellow alert for high temperatures.

According to the latest forecast, seven provincial-level regions are expected to see some parts with hot weather of over 40 degrees Celsius on Friday.

The latest round of heat waves started on Wednesday.

On Thursday, eight capital cities in China’s provincial-level regions had recorded their highest temperatures of 2023.

Shijiazhuang, capital of the northern Hebei province, took the lead, as its daily maximum temperature reached 40.4 degrees Celsius, the first time the city exceeded 40 degrees this year.

Meteorological centres across the country have advised the public to avoid outdoor activities during high-temperature periods in the afternoon and suggested that workers exposed to high temperatures adopt necessary protective measures.

China has a four-tier, colour-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Chinese meteorologists refer to days when the daily maximum temperature reaches more than 35 degrees Celsius as “high temperature days”.

The threshold for the activation of an orange alert is when the daily maximum temperature climbs to more than 40 degrees Celsius in a single day, or the maximum temperature remains above 37 degrees for two consecutive days.

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-Top News UK News

Parts of UK officially experiencing heatwave

heatwave.

Torrential rain also temporarily stopped the Manchester City trophy parade after the club won the Treble on Saturday…reports Asian Lite News

An area of the UK stretching from the North West to the South East of England is officially experiencing a heatwave, the Met Office has said.

A heatwave is defined as three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold.

The threshold varies in each county, with the highest of 28C in and around London, and the lowest being 25C in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England.

It comes as weather alerts for thunderstorms remain in place from 12pm to 9pm for Scotland and Northern Ireland after much of the UK was hit by heavy rain, hail and lightning on Monday.

A previous amber thunderstorm warning covered parts of Leicester, Birmingham, Worcester, Gloucester and Oxford, with Liverpool and parts of the North West also affected.

Torrential rain also temporarily stopped the Manchester City trophy parade after the club won the Treble on Saturday.

But warm weather has returned to the UK, with highs of 28C (82.4F) expected around 4-5pm on Tuesday in both London and Manchester.

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, also issued a high air pollution warning to those in the capital – the second of the year – caused by high temperatures and pollution being carried over from the continent.

He asked people to “look after themselves” and avoid unnecessary car journeys, opting instead to walk, cycle or take public transport.

With drier weather expected to continue into the latter parts of the week, Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England, urged weather readers to change their tone when speaking about the hot and sunny spell, because the country “needs rain”.

“Our rivers & wetlands are dying & wildlife fading away. We need RAIN. It is good. You can’t make the weather, but please stop saying global heating is a positive thing,” he wrote in a tweet.

West Cumbria Rivers Trust (WCRT) & the National Trust also warned that what should be the wettest part of England has rivers running almost completely dry, creating “disastrous” conditions for wildlife like fish.

Over the weekend a temperature of 32C (89.6F) was recorded at Kew Gardens in southwest London and much of the UK was hotter than Monaco and the French Riviera where temperatures languished in the low 20s.

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-Top News Environment Europe

Europe hit hardest by rising temperatures

A man refreshes himself at a water fountain in Rome, Italy, July 22, 2022. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua/IANS)

Excess deaths associated with the heat in Europe exceeded 15,000 in total across Spain, Germany, the UK, France, and Portugal.

Temperatures in Europe have increased in the past few years – the highest of any continent in the world resulting in 15,700 deaths across Europe linked to heatwaves in 2022, according to the World Meteorological Organization report.

Record-breaking heat waves affected Europe during the summer. In some areas, extreme heat was coupled with exceptionally dry conditions. Excess deaths associated with the heat in Europe exceeded 15,000 in total across Spain, Germany, the UK, France, and Portugal. The global mean temperature in 2022 was 1.15 (1.02 to 1.28)°C above the 1850-1900 average. The years 2015 to 2022 were the eight warmest in the instrumental record back to 1850. 2022 was the 5th or 6th warmest year. This was despite three consecutive years of a cooling La Nina – such a “triple-dip” La Nina has happened only three times in the past 50 years, said the report.

WMO provides information on rising temperatures, land and marine heatwaves, extreme weather, changing precipitation patterns, and retreating ice and snow.

The State of the Global Climate 2022 shows the planetary scale changes on land, in the ocean and in the atmosphere caused by record levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. For global temperature, the years 2015-2022 were the eight warmest on record despite the cooling impact of a La Nina event for the past three years. Melting of glaciers and sea level rise – which again reached record levels in 2022 – will continue for up to thousands of years, added the WMO report.

Visitors tour the square in front of Louvre Musuem in Paris, France. (Xinhua/Gao Jing/IANS)

“While greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and the climate continues to change, populations worldwide continue to be gravely impacted by extreme weather and climate events. For example, in 2022, continuous drought in East Africa, record-breaking rainfall in Pakistan and record-breaking heatwaves in China and Europe affected tens of millions, drove food insecurity, boosted mass migration, and cost billions of dollars in loss and damage,” said WMO Secretary-General Prof Petteri Taalas.

As the climate continues to change, European people’s health is expected to be impacted in many ways, including death and illness from increasingly frequent extreme weather events.

Increases in zoonoses, where diseases are transmitted to humans from animals, are also expected along with food, water and vector-borne diseases, and a rising incidence of mental health disorders.

The deadliest extreme climate events in Europe come in the form of heat waves, particularly in western and southern countries.

The combination of climate change, urbanization and population ageing in the region creates, and will further exacerbate, vulnerability to heat.

A man refreshes himself at a fountain in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua/IANS)

The WMO State of the Global Climate report was released ahead of Earth Day 2023. Its key findings echo the message of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for Earth Day.

“We have the tools, the knowledge, and the solutions. But we must pick up the pace. We need accelerated climate action with deeper, faster emissions cuts to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. We also need massively scaled-up investments in adaptation and resilience, particularly for the most vulnerable countries and communities who have done the least to cause the crisis,” said Guterres.

As the warming trend continues, exceptional heat, wildfires, floods and other climate change impacts will affect society, economies and ecosystems, according to a report released Wednesday by WMO.

Rainfall has been below average in five consecutive wet seasons, the longest such sequence in 40 years. As of January 2023, it was estimated that over 20 million people faced acute food insecurity across the region, under the effects of the drought and other shocks.

Record-breaking rain in July and August led to extensive flooding in Pakistan. There were over 1 700 deaths, and 33 million people were affected, while almost 8 million people were displaced. Total damage and economic losses were assessed at USD 30 billion, added the report.

As of 2021, 2.3 billion people faced food insecurity, of which 924 million people faced severe food insecurity. Projections estimated 767.9 million people facing undernourishment in 2021, 9.8 per cent of the global population. Half of these are in Asia and one-third are in Africa.

Climate change is also affecting recurring events in nature, such as when trees blossom, or birds migrate. Climate change has important consequences for ecosystems and the environment. For example, a recent assessment focusing on the unique high-elevation area around the Tibetan Plateau, the largest storehouse of snow and ice outside the Arctic and Antarctic, found that global warming is causing the temperate zone to expand. (ANI)

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-Top News Europe UK News

Heatwave may end today with thunderstorm

The country has experienced its driest July since 1935 as temperature in most regions recording the least rainfall. Yellow alerts for thunderstorms are in place everywhere except the north of Scotland on Monday…reports Asian Lite News

The spell of extreme heatwave in the United Kingdom is expected to end on Monday as the weather office has made prediction about thunderstorms.

The Met Office has warned that these thunderstorms could bring flash floods and even spark wildfires. The country has experienced its driest July since 1935 as temperature in most regions recording the least rainfall. Yellow alerts for thunderstorms are in place everywhere except the north of Scotland on Monday.

The warning has been extended till Tuesday for all of England and Wales.

The Met Office said that extremely low rainfall has left large swathes of land in the UK parched, so the rain is likely to hit the ground and run off, like on concrete, which could lead to flash flooding.

According to BBC, Scotland and Northern Ireland recorded rain and lower temperature on Sunday. Today, other parts of England are expected to witness rain.

The sudden change in weather is due to alteration in air pressure, Dan Stroud, a meteorologist at the Met Office, told The Telegraph.

“We’ve had a number of days now where we’ve had clear, strong, clear skies and strong sunshine which has heated up the ground,” he said.

However, the downpour won’t bring relief from drought. “It will help a little but, really, it’s almost the wrong sort of rain,” Mr Stroud told the outlet. “What we’re likely to see is some heavy, intense downpours. With the ground baked so dry, it’s very difficult for the ground to actually absorb the water very quickly,” he added.

Drought was declared in as many as eight areas in England on Saturday.

The country has witnessed extremely high temperature in recent months, with the mercury crossing the 40 degrees Celsius-mark for the first time during the July heatwave.

The hot weather has also caused wildfires around England, from the North York Moors National Park to Dorset on the south coast.

Churches offer refuge from heatwave

With another heatwave hitting Britain this weekend, churches around the country are offering their large, stone buildings as a sanctuary for people seeking refuge from the unbearable temperatures.

In London, Rev John MacKenzie, vicar of St Luke’s Church, West Holloway, is offering respite for those seeking to escape overheating homes.

He said: “Throughout history, churches have been places of sanctuary so it’s fitting that our nice, cool buildings are a source of refuge for people trying to avoid the heat.

“Whether it’s running food banks or offering a night shelter for the homeless, churches are often trying to help the local community so as we have these large, stone buildings it makes sense to open them up for the public to use. We’ve been providing iced drinks and free wifi for people that need to escape high rise flats or other places that get too hot during the day. These heatwaves just show the danger we face from climate change and is a reminder to the next Prime Minister that they need to make action on climate change a top priority.”

Christian Aid’s Senior Climate Advisor, Mary Friel, said: “Climate change is supercharging heatwaves and extreme weather events around the world, including in the UK. It’s particularly bad right now in East Africa, where the worst drought in 40 years is putting millions of people on the brink of famine. This growing extreme weather needs to be a wake-up call for our politicians. People are losing their lives and livelihoods. Scientists have already warned this is the critical decade for climate action to keep global temperatures below 1.5C. Unless leaders act faster on climate change then we can expect the situation to only get worse. What makes climate change so unjust is that those suffering the most have done the least to cause it. That’s why support needs to urgently reach people on the front line of the climate crisis, and we must redouble efforts at home to transition to net-zero as fast as possible.”

Earlier this summer, Christian Aid published a report, Scorched Earth, which looks at how climate change and drought is affecting 10 global cities, including London.

The report cites Environment Agency CEO, James Bevan, who warns that within 25 years London and the South East of England could run out of water. The cost of a severe drought to London’s economy is estimated by Thames Water to be 330m pounds per day, and would have severe economic, social and environmental consequences.

The situation in East Africa has got so bad that Christian Aid has launched an appeal which will help repair wells, truck water to drought hit areas and provide food and water purification kits.

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