Scant hope for relief as repeated heat waves scorch Pakistan
‘Our crops are under immense stress, and workers on the fields have been coming down with heatstroke.’
 
Temperatures reached 48 degrees Celsius in the Sindh province of Pakistan this month, nearing the 50.2 degrees in 2018 that set the world record for the hottest-ever day in April. The heat wave is being felt across South Asia, causing disastrous floods, water shortages, and heatstroke, with temperatures expected to continue rising throughout May. And while extremely high temperatures are not uncommon in Pakistan, researchers this week said the climate crisis is making heat waves 100 times more likely in a country consistently ranked as one of the most vulnerable to climate change. Without a dramatic global course correction, sea level rise, water stress, crop yield reductions, ecosystem loss, and drought will force 1.2 million people in Pakistan to migrate by 2030. Local activists say the government isn’t helping either, claiming that it lacks a contingency plan and any real understanding of the public health effects of prolonged heat stress. “We have crossed 50 degrees already [in Larkana],” said Junaid Ahmed Dahar, an activist based in the northern Sindh city. “As climate change picks up pace in the years to come, I doubt human survival will be possible in this region.”
 

A kidnapped teacher, a fed up farmer, and a push for dialogue with Mali’s militants
‘I knew the conflict would affect me again if I did nothing.’

The story of one local leader risking his life to protect his community.


For desperate Afghans, risky crossings into Iran are worth chancing
‘Who likes to be beaten, humiliated, or killed? But it’s difficult to cover the cost of a family here.’

As it gets harder to feed their families, more and more Afghans are attempting risky journeys into Iran via Pakistan to find work.
 

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