Adapting to severe climate change: A matter of survival for the entire planet

Amidst escalating threats to human life, the international community is stepping up cooperation to curb the effects of climate change.

Large parts of the world—particularly regions across Asia—are currently enduring the most intense heatwaves ever recorded.

India’s capital, New Delhi—home to over 30 million people—is facing a historic heatwave, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red alert. Temperatures in several areas are soaring between 41°C and 45°C, surpassing long-term averages by 3 to 4 degrees.

Meanwhile, in Pakistan’s Punjab region, temperatures have reached 50°C—a level considered “close to the survival threshold.”

People cool off at a beach of the Mediterranean Sea during a heatwave in Alexandria, Egypt, on July 23, 2024.

Experts have identified the current heatwave in South Asia as one of the most severe extreme weather events in recent years. Local authorities have issued urgent health advisories, while hospitals are seeing a sharp rise in cases of heatstroke, exhaustion, and dehydration.

Scientists affirm that such extreme heatwaves are no longer isolated incidents—they are direct consequences of global climate change. The Arctic is widely regarded as the “frontline” of this crisis.

This May, Iceland experienced record-breaking temperatures, exceeding the 1991–2020 May average by 13°C. Forecasts suggest that such temperature anomalies, observed in both Iceland and Greenland, could recur once every hundred years.

The recent heatwave has led to rapid ice melt across Greenland. Chris Hewitt, Director of Climate Services at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), warned that Arctic ice is warming at a rate 3.5 times faster than the global average, accelerating the rise in sea levels.

New research indicates that nearly 4 billion people—around 49% of the world’s population—have endured at least 30 additional days of extreme heat due to climate change.

The WMO and the UK Met Office caution that global temperatures are likely to rise further in the years ahead, bringing with them more frequent, severe, and deadly extreme weather events.

Projections for the 2025–2029 period suggest there is an 80% likelihood of breaking existing annual temperature records. For the first time—potentially before 2030—the global average temperature may exceed the targets set under the Paris Agreement, which aims to keep warming below 2°C, and ideally 1.5°C, above pre-industrial levels.

In anticipation of the 2025 Bonn Climate Conference, over 50 countries recently convened at the NDC Global Conference 2025 to discuss accelerating the implementation of nationally determined contributions.

This year marks a critical milestone, as all countries are required to submit updated reports detailing their climate commitments through to 2035.

Experts are urging governments to prioritise investment in early warning systems, enhance public health resilience, and build climate-adaptive urban infrastructure. The world can no longer afford inaction - adapting to climate change is a matter of survival for the entire planet.

NDO