HEATWAVE 2024

 On May 21 and 22, 2004, temperatures in central Pakistan reached 47 degrees Celsius, causing six deaths and dozens more illnesses. The extreme air temperatures were reflected in land temperatures, which are often higher than air temperatures due to land retention. The MODIS image shows the land around the Indus River reaching 67 degrees Celsius. The temperature gradient in the Himalaya Mountains might correlate with elevation, with the pattern more distinct in the high-resolution image showing a larger region to the north, including Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, India, and China at 500 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions, including MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel.

Pakistan's southern province of Sindh experienced its highest temperature of the summer, reaching 52 degrees Celsius (125.6 degrees Fahrenheit), close to the country's record high. The heatwave is attributed to human-driven climate change, according to a team of international scientists. In Mohenjo Daro, a town known for its archaeological sites, temperatures rose as high as 52.2 C (126 F) over the last 24 hours, according to a senior official from the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

Heat stress is a growing issue affecting workers worldwide, including journalists, insurance inspectors, summer theatre staff, and tour guides. The issue is not limited to construction workers and manual laborers, but now affects a wide range of populations, including journalists, insurance inspectors, summer theatre staff, and tour guides. Androniki Miliou, a tour guide at Meteora in central Greece, reports that summer temperatures can be difficult to bear, with temperatures often reaching 35 degrees Celsius or higher. This can lead to long wait times and reduced income, as archaeological sites are often closed due to the unbearable heat.The Farm Zero C project has made significant progress in reducing emissions and increasing biodiversity, with a 27% reduction in the farm's carbon footprint achieved. However, the project faces challenges due to the milk producers' main sources of greenhouse gases, their 250 Friesian Holstein Jersey crossbred cows. Over 50% of the farm's emissions come from methane emissions from cows digesting their food and releasing methane into the atmosphere.

Irish dairy farms rely on the country's lush natural grasslands for feeding their cows and producing high-quality milk. However, additives given to the cows during grazing are short-lived, providing only a few hours of reduced emissions. During winter, the team has had more success, as indoor cows can reduce methane emissions by 7% and chemicals added to slurry by 75%.The project is also deploying nature-based solutions, such as multi-species fields, which improve soil structure and drainage, sequestering carbon deeper below the surface and reducing the need for artificial fertilisers. PhD researcher Mary Kate Doherty has been following the deployment of these fields and finds them efficient.

Ten percent of the farm is dedicated to boosting biodiversity, turning areas that drained poorly into natural wetlands, grazed once or twice a year. The farm will soon measure the sequestration potential of these zones as they trial carbon farming, which would reward farmers for their greenhouse gas mitigation services.