South East Asia tries to stay cool in historic heatwave

bmj;385/apr10_5/q835/FAF1faRouelle Umali/Xinhua/AlamyA child plays in a portable pool in Manila, Philippines, set up by local authorities at the end of last month to help protect people from South East Asia’s record breaking heatwave.Schools across the country were closed as the temperature reached 42°C, an unprecedented high for March. Teachers reported they only had desk fans to try to keep 60 pupils in a classroom cool. Children also experienced dizziness and headaches, and some were unable to focus and had other problems such as nose bleeds. Unions have called for more climate resilient classrooms and alternative timetables for children.The World Meteorological Organization said the whole region had been “gripped by severe heat conditions” since February, when temperatures reached the high 30s—well above the seasonal average. It attributed the scorching weather to human induced climate change, as well as the El Niño event, which brings hotter, drier conditions to the region.Along with…
Read Original Article: South East Asia tries to stay cool in historic heatwave »