Vietnam and Laos recently experienced a severe heat wave, with all-time temperature records shattered in both countries.
On May 6, Hoi Xuan in Vietnam reached a scorching 44.1C, breaking the previous record for the country of 43.4C set in 2019. On the same day, Laos recorded its highest-ever temperature of 43.5C in Luang Prabang. These records were set just a few weeks after temperatures in Thailand rose above 45C for the first time.
The intense heat has prompted officials to warn people to stay indoors during the hottest times of the day.
In Vietnam’s central city of Danang, farmer Nguyen Thi Lan told AFP that the heat was forcing workers to start earlier than ever and finish by 10:00. Climate change expert Nguyen Ngoc Huy called Vietnam’s new record “worrying,” given the context of climate change and global warming, and predicted that it will be repeated many times.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsBREAKING: Vietnam 🇻🇳 and Laos 🇱🇦 have both set a new national heat record today. This comes just 3 weeks after Thailand 🇹🇭 measured over 45°C for the first time in its history, setting a new national heat record.
— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) May 6, 2023
Absolutely brutal. pic.twitter.com/5WOkaboGkx
Other Asian countries in the region have also been experiencing sweltering weather, with Thailand reporting a record-equalling 44.6C in its western Mak province, and Myanmar’s media reporting that a town in the east had recorded 43.8C, the highest temperature for a decade.
Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka recorded its highest temperature since the 1960s and Indian authorities said parts of the country were experiencing temperatures three or four degrees above normal.
Heatwave exacerbates climate change concerns
The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began, and temperatures will keep rising unless governments make steep cuts to emissions. Climate scientists have warned that every increment of global warming will intensify multiple and concurrent hazards and that the critical international temperature goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C is likely to be missed.
The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has called for urgent action to curb emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Global temperatures continue to rise despite climate action goals
While a breakdown of the heat in Southeast Asia is expected to occur in the next few days as a tropical disturbance is likely to develop nearby, forecast models suggest that a tropical storm will bring some strong winds and significant rainfall to Southeast Asia, including the areas that have recently seen their temperature records broken.
Nevertheless, the extreme heat waves experienced in Vietnam, Laos, and other countries in the region underscore the urgent need for global action to address the root causes of climate change and prevent its most catastrophic impacts.