In brief
A study indicates that climate change has made recent extreme heat waves in South Sudan significantly more likely, compelling school closures and raising health concerns amid ongoing struggles with war and food insecurity.
Article text: In February 2025, South Sudan faced a severe heat wave that prompted school closures due to dozens of students collapsing from heat-related illnesses. This alarming event marked the second school shutdown in under a year as authorities sought to protect vulnerable youth from the life-threatening consequences of extreme temperature spikes. A recent report from World Weather Attribution has revealed that climate change, primarily driven by emissions from wealthier nations, augmented the likelihood of this heat wave, making it at least ten times more probable and increasing temperatures by 2 degrees Celsius.Some areas recorded frightening temperatures exceeding 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit) during the last week of February. The findings stem from a mixture of climate models, observational data, and weather analytics, though they are not peer-reviewed and rely on accepted methodologies. South Sudan, emerging from a civil war that led to its independence from Sudan in 2011, finds itself on the frontlines of climate change consequences despite contributing minimally to global emissions. Joyce Kimutai, a researcher at Imperial College London's Center for Environmental Policy, noted that while Africa generates a small fraction of the world's emissions, it is disproportionately impacted by climate crises.Heat waves represent some of the deadliest weather phenomena, a reality exacerbated by climate change that has led to more frequent occurrences with greater severity. However, the connection between heat exposure and mortality can differ both regionally and nationally, often resulting in underreported death tolls that remain uncertain for extended periods.Children, pregnant women, and the elderly are particularly susceptible to prolonged heat exposure. Over the past three weeks, a massive area of Eastern Africa, including sections of Kenya and Uganda, has been ensnared by extreme temperatures. Local officials have advised residents to stay indoors and hydrate, a directive posing challenges in regions where outdoor labor is common, electricity outages are frequent, access to clean water is precarious, and housing often lacks proper cooling systems.
