Since 1960, Karachi’s temperature has increased by 2.4ºC at night and 1.6ºC during the day, which is much higher than the global average increase in temperature, reveals a new alarming report.
The report titled, “Designed to Fail? Heat Governance in Urban South Asia: The Case of Karachi”, studies the city’s changing weather pattern using data from the last 60 years.
While Pakistan is the eighth most vulnerable country in the world to climate change, the report states that its southern province of Sindh is in fact one of South Asia’s “hotspots” for global warming.
“In regions such as South Asia, temperatures have already reached levels that are higher than what is considered biologically livable,” the researchers note.
This year, Pakistan experienced its hottest and driest month of March and April since 1961, as per the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
Many cities in the country broke historical records of heat, with the temperature in Sindh’s Jacobabad reaching 49ºC in only April.
Officials have warned of more heatwaves in May in the country, advising people to stay indoors.
Karachi, Pakistan’s most populous city, is located within the zone of “ultraviolent” radiation, the report adds.
