For hundreds of millions of people living in India and Pakistan the early arrival of summer heatwaves has become a terrifying reality that’s testing survivability limits and putting enormous strain on energy supplies, vital crops and livelihoods.
    • Azarova [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      45·
      15 days ago

      That share a major river that Pakistan completely relies on and India controls the source of. It’s probably one of the scariest potential flash points of conflict that almost never gets talked about, at least in the West.

    • KurtVonnegut [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      24·
      15 days ago

      Saw some posts in the News mega-thread about hyper-patriotic politicians in India spreading conspiracy theories that China was going to invade the “Seven Sisters,” possibly with the aid of Bangladesh. I would not be surprised if USA intelligence agencies would try to take advantage of the environmental catastrophe to start a proxy war against China on border territories. Hopefully they are too incompetent to pull it off.

  • trashxeos@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
    35·
    15 days ago

    It doesn’t mention the wet bulb temperature. If that temperature is just the temperature, you can still do things to cool (wet clothes, shade, airflow), but if the wet bulb is that hot, you’re screwed because it’s then too humid to use anything besides phase change cooling (proper air conditioning). Either way, that is still crazy hot and it’s only going to get worse over time.

    • KobaCumTribute [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
      11·
      15 days ago

      It has to be the dry bulb temperature, because both temperatures mentioned are above body temperature and the wet bulb rising above that would be a much more catastrophic and notable thing. With the higher temperature they mention (120F) even a wet bulb in the 70s would be very dangerous. Generally if both dry and wet bulb temperatures are below body temperature one just needs to stay hydrated and avoid the sun and heavy labor since one still cools just by the ambient temperature being cooler than one’s body even when sweating stops working as well because of high humidity, but when the dry bulb starts going above body temperature it can quickly become a problem because sweating is not nearly as efficient a cooling method as what the wet bulb measurement uses.