Pakistan and India Face Sizzling April Heat Wave
In Pakistan, millions of people have faced blackouts of up to 14 hours a day during the holy month of Ramadan as a sizzling heat wave brought a surge of demand for electricity. This comes after India reported it experienced its hottest month of March in more than a century of record keeping. Extreme weather has taken a toll on India’s crop yields, with some states reporting a drop in wheat production by as much as 35% this year.
The Washington Post has a more detailed, if less accessible, article:
"Record heat has gripped India since March. It’s about to get worse."
On Monday, several cities across the nation registered highs over 109 degrees (42.8 Celsius); the city of Wardha in the west-central state of Maharashtra soared to 113 degrees (45 Celsius).
Temperatures are forecast to rise further, leaping 10 to 15 degrees (5.5 to 8.3 Celsius) above average during the second half of this week, reigniting worry for those without any way to escape the heat. Portions of northern and western India, especially areas near the borders with Pakistan and Nepal, may endure the most extreme heat. That’s where highs may reach 110 to 115 degrees (44 to 46 Celsius) Wednesday and Thursday.
Between Friday and Sunday, temperatures could climb as high as 120 degrees (49 Celsius) if the most extreme forecast models are correct. ...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/04/25/india-record-heat-march-april/
Paywall: https://archive.ph/6eVAb
Meanwhile, China is doubling down on coal production:
"With coal surge, China puts energy security and growth before climate"
With the arrival of another Earth Day, nearly half a year after the Conference of the Parties negotiations concluded, Beijing’s hopes for a rapid pivot away from coal — the fossil fuel most responsible for global temperature increases — have not materialized whether at home or abroad.
A study published Friday indicates that at least 18 new coal plant projects abroad will probably go ahead despite the pledge. At home, power shortages and fears of energy insecurity, worsened by turmoil in international fossil fuel markets from Russia’s war on Ukraine, have renewed convictions that China’s rich coal reserves must remain the country’s main energy source in the near-term.
China already consumes and produces about half the world’s coal and continued expansion of output and capacity make achieving its climate goals look ever more remote.
...
On Wednesday, Premier Li Keqiang confirmed a goal of 300 million tons of new coal production capacity in 2022, up from 220 million tons added last year. In March, Chinese miners dug out more coal per day than ever before. Earlier this month, the government of Ordos city, a coal-extraction powerhouse in Inner Mongolia, approved plans to tap a 2 billion-ton coal-reserve spread across 65 square miles with expected output of 15 million tons per year. ...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/22/china-coal-climate-change-xi-energy/
Paywall: https://archive.ph/o6T7h
https://www.democracynow.org/2022/4/25/headlines/pakistan_and_india_face_sizzling_april_heat_wave
#India #Pakistan #HeatWave #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #Weather #Heat #Chna #coal
