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| Firefighters fight a fire in a forest in the Canary Islands, Spain on July 16. |
(VLO) Tens of millions of people around the world are struggling to cope with the scorching heat, with temperatures in parts of the Americas, Europe and Asia forecast to reach record highs. Hot weather not only causes forest fires but also aggravates the burden on the health sector.
On July 16, high temperatures and scorching heat hit Asia, Europe and the US. The US National Weather Service predicts a heat wave in an area stretching from California to Texas will peak this weekend and pose a risk of health effects.
In the state of California, the Death Valley area - one of the hottest places on Earth, could see a new record high temperature on July 16, up to 7C. Meanwhile, the city of Phoenix - the capital of the state of Arizona, has recorded 540 consecutive days of temperatures above 16C.
Japanese authorities have issued heat shock warnings to tens of millions of people in 20 of the country's 47 prefectures.
NHK has warned that temperatures have reached dangerous levels for human health as the capital Tokyo and many other places recorded temperatures near 400C. Some parts of Japan on July 16 experienced the highest temperature in four decades.
Spain's weather agency (AEMET) said the temperature peaked at 45,30C in the municipality of Figueres in the northeastern region of Catalonia, while the Balearic Islands suffered as hot as 43,70C.
On July 18, Spain issued "extreme danger" warnings due to scorching temperatures in three regions of the country.
AEMET has issued a red alert for extreme heat in both areas as well as in Aragon, both in northeastern Spain; At the same time, it is recommended that people limit going out during the hottest hours of the day and drink enough water.
Meanwhile, the fire service said that the fire that has raged for days in the Canary Islands has burned almost all of it.
Since July 15, hundreds of firefighters and dozens of firefighting planes are still trying to control a large forest fire on La Palma island in the Canary Islands.
So far, the fire has burned 3.500 hectares, along with about 20 houses and many structures, forcing 4.000 residents to evacuate.
Meanwhile, on July 16, China issued a heat warning in some areas, with temperatures possibly reaching 7-40C in Xinjiang and 450C in Guangxi province. In Iraq, temperatures in the capital Baghdad reached nearly 390C and drought caused the water level of the Tigris River to gradually become dry.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also warned of an increased risk of health problems and deaths as extreme weather covers parts of Europe, Asia and the US.
Accordingly, the heat will aggravate existing diseases in each person, especially worrying in the group of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and asthma.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that extreme heat has the hardest impact on the most vulnerable, such as the elderly, infants and young children, and the poor and homeless. .
This situation also increases pressure on health systems. Tolerating extreme heat can have unpredictable health consequences, often exacerbating existing diseases and even leading to unfortunate death or disability.
WHO is working with the World Meteorological Organization to help countries develop action plans during hot weather to coordinate preparedness and reduce the impacts of extreme heat on health. of people.
Currently, millions of people in all three continents, Eurasia, and America are suffering from intense heat, widespread wildfires, and health risks as temperatures continuously set new records.
Experts say this is partly a consequence of climate change caused by fossil fuel consumption, with global warming playing a key role in driving increasingly destructive weather patterns. big.
Experts say it is imperative that global action is taken to effectively tackle the climate crisis that poses existential threats to humanity.
And action on climate change cannot be based on just one government or one particular political party. This really has to be a non-partisan issue and needs the cooperation of all of humanity.
BUI THANH (according to tintuc.vn)
