If climate change is making heat waves 100 times more likely in India, this is who will suffer most
CBSN
New Delhi — Shiv Shankar, 54, works all day on a construction site in the blistering New Delhi sun. He can't even think of taking a day off to avoid the deadly heat wave that has gripped India's capital and much of the country's north since late March. That would mean losing a day's wages, and his family of four simply can't afford it.
Hundreds of millions of workers in India and Pakistan spend every day outside, without the option of avoiding even the hottest hours of the day. Those workers may face increasing life or death choices about going to work, as scientists say climate change is making deadly, record-breaking heat waves like the one hitting northwest India and Pakistan right now 100 times more likely to occur.
A report published this week by the U.K. government's Meteorological Office says climate change has increased the chances of heat waves hitting the region from once every 312 years, to once every 3.1 years.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Heavy rains lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, flooding portions of major highways, leaving vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai and grinding traffic at the city-state's huge international airport briefly to a complete halt. Meanwhile, the death toll from separate heavy flooding in neighboring Oman rose to 18, with others still missing as the sultanate prepared for the storm.
Paris — Five years have passed since Notre Dame cathedral in Paris was engulfed in flames. The iconic spire and timber roof were destroyed in the blaze. People around the world were shocked at the scale of the fire and the damage it caused, but work to restore the iconic landmark to its former glory continues.