Workers move blocks of ice into a storage unit at a fresh market during heatwave conditions, in Bangkok on April 25, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

Filipino climate activist Renato Redentor Constantino is grateful that he lives and works in a neighborhood lined with trees. He relishes the canopy’s cooling effect as he walks around Manila’s scorching heat.

“Extreme heat in the Philippines can be debilitating,” Constantino said, adding that it is dangerous for the elderly, children, and workers who are required to be outdoors, or in factory or indoor settings that were not built for such high temperatures and which often lack basic ventilation.

Scientists at the World Weather Attribution said that the “extreme humid heat” in the region is “largely driven by climate change”. They said this heatwave is detrimental to vulnerable and disadvantaged communities such as people with disabilities, outdoor workers and farmers

Constantino is the deputy chairperson of the Expert Advisory Group of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), a global forum of countries most threatened by climate change. He said that the heatwave — which has swept across the Philippines and the rest of the Southeast Asian region —  is proof that climate change is “not a phenomenon waiting to bite us in the future”.

“Scientists have long projected the steady rise in global temperatures and certainly Southeast Asia is not exempt from the impacts of global warming. The region will not be returning to far more pleasant temperatures it had enjoyed many decades ago,” Constantino said.

Scientists at the World Weather Attribution said that the “extreme humid heat” in the region is “largely driven by climate change”. They said this heatwave is detrimental to vulnerable and disadvantaged communities such as people with disabilities, outdoor workers and farmers.

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Serina Abdul Rahman, lecturer at the Department of Southeast Asian Studies, National University of Singapore (NUS), has seen how the heatwave is hurting the fishing community in Malaysia's southwestern state of Johor.

Serina is an anthropologist who has extensively studied the community of fisherfolks in Johor. She said higher temperatures usually cause strong winds that can lead to water spouts —  the winds and heat suck up water and turn into mini tornadoes on land.

“This can be dangerous for fishermen but when those water spouts head inland, they can cause severe damage to homes. I’ve seen this happen in Johor recently,” Serina said.

She said the heatwave can also affect fisherfolks’ livelihood as extreme heat can cause coral bleaching. The damaged fish habitat will reduce fisheries stocks and consequently the fishermen’s catch.

“This means that the heat then affects the seafood that is available for our dining tables. So the (heatwave’s) impact on the fishermen also affects people far removed from them in terms of food security,” Serina said.

Southeast Asian countries have posted record-high temperatures in the past few weeks. In Laos, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, temperatures have even hit over 40 degrees Celsius

Southeast Asian countries have posted record-high temperatures in the past few weeks. In Laos, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, temperatures have even hit over 40 degrees Celsius.

Some governments have imposed emergency measures to mitigate the effects of the heatwave on the population.

In Malaysia, the education ministry has ordered the suspension of all outdoor activities in schools, while in the Philippines, state-owned schools have reduced class hours and adopted blended learning to protect students from the sweltering heat.

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The Hanoi Public Lighting Company has turned off some street lights in the Vietnamese capital to save electricity as intense heat has increased demand for air conditioning and strained the national power system.

Thailand’s weather department has advised people to be wary of extremely high temperatures and sudden summer storms.

The month of June traditionally heralds the start of the monsoon season in the region, but a hot and dry season is expected in the coming months, according to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Specialized Meteorological Centre (ASMC).

Renato Redentor Constantino, deputy chairperson of the Expert Advisory Group of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, said citizens also need to demand more responsive policies from governments in confronting the “climate-constrained future”.  These include building public transport infrastructure that is not just cost-effective but also adaptive to expected hotter conditions

The ASMC said persistent, drier weather has been observed in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and southern Thailand in May. It said that there is a “high likelihood” of El Niño drier and hotter conditions developing in the coming months, with the “more intense and prolonged” dry season seen to extend into October.

“The heat is definitely more intense than usual,” said Helena Varkkey, associate professor of environmental politics at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur.

She said the heatwave has highlighted the dangers of failing to limit global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius.  The current heatwave is “one of the most serious climate effects that we need to deal with”.

Helena said the heatwave has spurred the need to fulfill climate commitments, alluding to countries which had pledged to reduce carbon emissions under the Paris climate pact.

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She said in the immediate term, heatwave warning systems have to be implemented together with regular public health advisories to ensure that people know what to do during a heatwave, and where to seek help when needed.

Helena said a more long-term measure is the implementation of building codes that require companies to use materials that encourage natural cooling and ventilation. She also proposed increased afforestation especially in urban areas, which will not only provide shade but also encourage more people to walk and reduce fossil fuel usage.

Constantino of CVF said citizens also need to demand more responsive policies from governments in confronting the “climate-constrained future”.  These include building public transport infrastructure that is not just cost-effective but also adaptive to expected hotter conditions.

“The way we generate and consume energy remains central to facing the challenges that are coming our way. We must lean more and more on reliable, more affordable energy in the form of wind and solar power even while we make everything far more energy-efficient,” he said.

Serina of NUS said climate commitments should be fulfilled but is skeptical that they can be attained “beyond just big meetings and empty pledges”.

“The richest people on the planet, the more developed nations in the world use more energy and give off more carbon than all the poor nations. But the poor feel the impact the most. Is it even imaginable that the rich will forsake their comforts to save the poor?” she said.