Some like it hot

It's not just China that has been suffering from a heatwave but also many regions all over the world. And it's not just a heatwave but an unprecedented one.

Since the end of May, many countries have registered record high temperatures. All-time high temperatures have also been recorded in six nations in Africa, Middle East and Asia. Chad, Niger, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, Myanmar and Pakistan all set new records for their all time high temperatures, with the mercury hitting 47.6°C, 47.1°C, 52.0°C, 52.0°C, 47°C and 53.5°C respectively. India has also had the hottest summer in the country since records began in the late 1800s, the temperatures nearing 50°C have claimed hundreds of lives. Even earlier in the year, Melbourne recorded its hottest night in 100 years in January, with temperature reaching 37°C at midnight.

What more evidence is needed for the scary truth that the world is quickly becoming a cauldron? Amazingly, such figures do not seem to have raise enough alarm. In the midst of the current heatwave, there are claims that 'fortunately', we may not see the kind of death tolls experienced during the 2003 European heat wave because the residents of the countries affected by this heatwave are more adapted to extreme high temperatures.

So it's not bad enough that lives are lost because of the heat. Going back to this heatwave in China, people are scorched by manhole covers, vehicles get burnt up in flames or glued in the middle of the road by the tar melted by the scorching sun. All these don't seem to be bad enough to warrant attention.

And it's just the temperatures on land that are running amok. The oceans are warmer than ever too. There are bound to be an increase in storms and hurricanes. Just like in China now. At the same time that some regions are suffering from the heatwaves, other regions are having a huge deluge.

People probably do not want to face up to the facts, because if they do, they will inevitably see the relationship between their extravagant lifestyle and such natural phenomena. They probably do not want to be held responsible or to have to make changes such as economising or conserving. That is why no firm commitments have been made by nations in the recent Copenhagen earth summit.
But it is very likely that we are nearing the tipping point if we do not act fast. That will be a point of no return. And it will be too expensive a lesson for the human race to learn.