Heatwaves to make parts of Africa and Asia uninhabitable: UN

Heatwaves are going to make certain regions in the Sahel - the Horn of Africa, South Asia, and southwest Asia uninhabitable for humans within a few decades, said the UN and the Red Cross.

The international organisation said heatwaves are predicted to "exceed human physiological and social limits" in these regions with extreme events that trigger "large-scale suffering and loss of life." This will make human life unsustainable, reported AFP.

This year, countries like Somalia and Pakistan have witnessed heatwave catastrophes. The joint report said such events will be more frequent and deadlier in the future. It noted that there are "clear limits" to what people exposed to extreme heat and humidity cannot survive. The foreseeable future hints at levels of heat beyond which societies may find it practically impossible to deliver adaptation.

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said extreme weather events like heatwaves and floods are hitting the most vulnerable people the hardest as climate change goes unchecked. "The impact is felt more brutally in countries already recovering from hunger, conflict, and poverty."

The UN warned such a turn of events will result in large-scale suffering, loss of life, population movements, and further entrenched inequality. The report noted that the effects of ageing, global warming, and urbanisation are putting a significant number of people at risk in developing countries in the coming decades. Agricultural workers, children, the elderly, and pregnant and breastfeeding women are at higher risk of illness. "Projected future death rates from extreme heat are staggeringly high."