Showing 1 - 5 of 5
Rising heat needs urgent response
Oped, Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Published on 24/11/2025
» 2024 was the hottest on record globally. In Asia and the Pacific, Bangladesh was the worst-hit country, with about 33 million people affected by lower crop yields that destabilised food systems, along with extensive school closures and many cases of heatstroke and related diseases. Children, the elderly and low-wage earners in poor and densely populated urban areas suffered the most, as they generally had less access to cooling systems or to water supplies and adequate healthcare. India, too, was badly affected, with around 700 heat-related deaths mostly in informal settlements.
Prepare for a future of heat waves
Oped, Renzo R Guinto, Published on 23/07/2024
» People across Asia have eagerly awaited the end of heat-wave season, which now appears to be drawing to a close. In my home country, the Philippines, the first typhoon of the year arrived in late May, lowering temperatures that had climbed to nearly 50° Celsius (122° Fahrenheit). Over the previous few months, the record-breaking heat led to school closures, a spike in emergency room visits, reduced productivity, and a return to remote work.
Review blood donation criteria
Oped, Anne Somanas, Published on 18/03/2022
» The concerning case of Swiss expat Theo Zwahlen points to a need for Thailand to seriously reevaluate the logic behind its blood donation criteria.
Climate change is a health crisis
Oped, Julia Gillard, Published on 05/11/2021
» The threat Covid-19 poses to human health is now well understood around the world. In contrast, the enormous health threat of global warming, with its broad array of persistent impacts on our well-being, is under-recognised and poorly understood.
Heatwaves, the other silent killer
Oped, Kathryn Clarkson, Published on 03/06/2021
» Temperatures are soaring to extremes more often even as Asia faces record Covid-19 surges. Millions of people from Bangladesh to Vietnam are stuck inside baking homes. Yet many still need to get outside to carry on their daily lives and survive even when they face sweltering heat. More than ever, we must do more to keep people safe, with concrete steps to prevent death and by taking early lifesaving action.