The UN has warned that 2023 to 2028 will be the warmest five-year period ever recorded, as temperatures soar, fueled by greenhouse gases and the El Nino weather pattern. Asia is already suffering.
Image: AFP
Lifesaving liquids
Volunteers in New Delhi hand out free drinks on a hot summer afternoon. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned in May that the next five years would be the hottest on record.
Image: Arun SANKAR/AFP
Cool as ice
Workers in the Thai capital Bangkok are transporting blocks of ice to a market. Thailand is one of the countries in Southeast and South Asia that have experienced deadly heat waves in the past few weeks.
Image: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP
Water supplier
This courrier would struggle to get more water onto his bike. It has become crucial in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi to have access to drinking water, given the sweltering heat. In May, another record was broken when temperatures hit 44.1 degrees Celsius (111.38 degrees Fahrenheit).
Image: Nhac NGUYEN/AFP
Seeking shade
It's not because of the rain that people in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, also carry umbrellas.
Image: Philip FONG/AFP
Hand-held fans bring relief
As El Nino causes temperatures to soar in Banda Aceh in Indonesia, a hand-held fan offers some respite to this schoolgirl.
Image: CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN/AFP
Too hot to work
The heat and mugginess in Prayagraj in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh make it difficult to work. This week, doctors there told people over 60 to stay inside during heatwaves.
Image: Sanjay KANOJIA/AFP
Water is a both blessing and a curse
Children cool off in the Buriganga River in Bangladesh, one of the countries in the world most affected by the climate catastrophe. Cyclones and floods are frequent and often devastating. One fifth of the country is at risk of permanent flooding because of rising sea levels.
The years 2023 to 2027 are likely to be the warmest on record as heat trapping greenhouse gases and El Nino drive up temperatures. The UN's World Meteorological Organization has warned that there is a 66% likelihood that global temperatures will be more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for at least one year. The 2016 Paris Agreement set a goal of limiting the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
