Sahel heatwave made worse by climate change, scientists warn

An extreme heatwave in the Sahel region in March and April would not have been as lethal without human-caused climate change, the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group of climate researchers has found. It warned of an increase in extreme weather if carbon emissions are not rapidly reduced.

The heatwave would have been cooler if humans had not warmed the planet by burning fossil fuels, wrote the WWA, an international network of scientists focusing on extreme weather events, in a study published Thursday.

While periods of high temperatures are common the Sahel at this time of year, the report said a five-day heatwave in Mali and Burkina Faso from 1-5 April would have been 1.4-1.5C cooler without climate change.

Mali and Burkina Faso experienced temperatures above 45C, with Mali registering the hottest day in its history on 3 April as temperatures hit 48.5C in the western city of Kayes.

The length and severity of the heatwave made it difficult for people to cope, the WWA said, adding that the number of deaths and hospitalisations had risen.

The group said there were likely hundreds, if not thousands, of heat-related casualties given the death toll is often under-reported.

The Gabriel-Touré hospital in Mali’s capital, Bamako, reported 102 deaths over the first four days of April. That's nearly as many as the 130 reported over the entire month in 2023.

(with AFP)

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