After a glittering female of the heat wave in the capital of South Sudan, a dozen students collapsed from a heat impact, officials closed schools for two weeks. That was The second time in less than a year that schools in the country closed to protect young people from the deadly effects of extreme heat.
Climate change, mostly caused by burning fossil fuels in rich nations, made at least a week of heat wave 10 times more likely and 2 degrees Celsius ToplierAccording to the new Attribution World Weather Study. Temperatures in some parts of the region rose above 42 degrees Celsius, or 107 degrees Fahrenheit, in the last week of February.
The analysis used weather data, observations and climatic models to get results, which were not inspected but based on standardized methods.
South Sudan, in the tropical band of East Africa, is torn by a civil war that led to Independence from Sudan in 2011. This is also one of the countries that are least responsible for the shows of the greenhouse gas that heat the world. “The continent has contributed to the tiny part of the global shows, but carries difficulties of climate change,” said Joyce Kimutai, researcher of the Ecological Policy Center at Imperial College London.
The heat waves are one of The most deadly extreme time events And they became more frequent and stronger on the warming planet. However, the methods of analysis that connect heat with mortality differ between and within countries, and many cases can be insufficiently reported and are often unknown months after the event.
Prolonged heat is especially dangerous for children, older adults and pregnant women. For the last three weeks, Extreme Heat settled over the large region of continental Eastern Africa, including parts of Kenya and Uganda. The residents have been told to stay indoors and drink water, heavy directives for countries where many work outdoors, electricity is sporadic, access to clean water is heavy, and modest residence means that it is a little cooling systems.
In Juba, the capital of southern Sudan and the largest city, only 1 percent of the city has a green space that helps cold inhabitants who cannot get relief at home, according to the study. But there are adaptations that could be made.
“Improving ventilation, planting trees and painting schools of lighter colors can help reduce temperature in classrooms, while adjusting the school calendar and class schedule can help avoid serious education disorders,” said Kiswendsida Guigma, a climate scientist in the red red crescent, research group in publishing news.
South Sudan is especially vulnerable after years of war and food uncertainty. In 2018, the Peace Agreement ended the Civil War in which more than 400,000 were killed, but Tensions remain in the country and Political arrests were recorded This week.
“Climate change obviously makes life difficult in southern Sudan, a country that is already facing economic challenges and periods of instability, where very few children finish elementary education,” said Dr. Guigma.
As global temperatures continue to increase, similar extreme heat waves in February could happen once every 10 years, the study said. And if warming doubles by the end of the century, similar heat waves could appear annually. High temperatures are predicted to continue in the region by March.
