Authorities closed schools for two weeks after a fierce February heatwave in the South Sudan capital collapsed dozens of students from the heat stroke. It was the second time a country's schools have been closed less than a year to protect young people from the deadly effects of extreme heat.
A new study by global weather attributions shows that climate change, primarily caused by the burning of fossil fuels in rich countries, has been heated by at least a week of its heatwave by 10 times more than twice as likely as two degrees Celsius. Temperatures in some parts of the area soared above 42 degrees Celsius, or 107 degrees Fahrenheit in the last week of February.
The analysis allowed results to be obtained using weather data, observations and climate models. This is based on a non-peer-reviewed, but standardized methodology.
South Sudan, located in a tropical band in East Africa, was torn apart by the civil war that led to independence from Sudan in 2011. He is also the head of the globally intensifying greenhouse gas emissions. “The continent has contributed to a small portion of global emissions, but it is bearing the brunt of climate change,” said Joyce Kimtai, a researcher at the Imperial College Environmental Policy Centre in London.
Heat waves are one of the most deadly extreme weather events, becoming more frequent and severe on warming planets. However, the analysis methods that connect fever to mortality vary between countries and countries, with deaths being underreported and often unknown for months after the event.
Long-term fever is particularly dangerous for children, elderly people, and pregnant women. Over the past three weeks, extremes have settled in large parts of the eastern African continent, including parts of Kenya and Uganda. Residents are told to stay indoors and drink water. This is a difficult command for the country, where many people work outdoors, electricity is sporadic, access to clean water is difficult, and modest housing does not have a cool system.
In Juba, the capital and largest city of South Sudan, research shows that only 1% of cities have green spaces that help cool residents who cannot get relief from their homes. However, there are adaptations that can be made.
“While improved ventilation, planting trees and light colors in school paintings can help reduce classroom temperatures, adapting school calendars and class schedules can help avoid serious disruptions in education.
South Sudan is particularly vulnerable after years of war and food insecurity. In 2018, the peace agreement ended a civil war that killed more than 400,000 people, but tensions remained within the country, with political arrests reported this week.
“Climate change is making life even more difficult in South Sudan, a country already facing periods of economic challenges and instability.
Research shows that a similar extreme heat wave could occur once every 10 years in February as global temperatures continue to rise. And if warming doubles by the end of the century, a similar heat wave could occur every year. High temperatures are expected to continue in the region until March.
