Temperatures above 123 Fahrenheit plunge country into two-day nationwide shutdown: ‘Keep citizens healthy’
Iran shut down government agencies, banks and schools across the country in early August, temperatures rose in places to over 123 degrees Fahrenheit and the power grid was in trouble, the New York Times reports reported.
What happened?
Amid a heatwave that raised public health concerns, the Iranian government declared a two-day “holiday” on August 1, recommending that children, those with health conditions and the elderly stay at home for the reason heatstroke risk, per the times.
“Due to the unprecedented heat… [and] “In order to protect the health of citizens, the Governing Council approved the Health Ministry's proposal to close across the country on Wednesday and Thursday.” Ali Bahadori Jahromi (@alibahaadori), a government spokesman, said in a Google translation of a Twitter post post.
Accordingly As the Times reported, more than a dozen Iranian cities reached temperatures “well above 104 degrees Fahrenheit” on August 1. The Iranian weather organization expected the capital, Tehran, to reach 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
Another suspected reason for the shutdown was that the government could not meet electricity demands. Record-breaking energy use was expected as people turned to air conditioning to stay cool and aging infrastructure went down. Some devices have been missing updates since the US imposed sanctions on Iran.
Why is a heatwave in Iran worrisome?
Hot summers are common in parts of Iran, reported The Times reported that the government “has not yet locked down the country because of the heat.”
Even in areas used to high temperatures, people have felt the effects of this year's heat. This was immediately followed by the shutdown in Iran The hottest month on earthbased on global mean temperatures for July as confirmed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The New York Times reported separately that this summer's heatwaves in North America and Europe have been dubbed by scientists as “virtually impossible” without the influence of humans releasing heat-trapping pollutants that have warmed the globe.
Asia and the Middle East have not escaped the heat. Depleted water supplies make the problems worse for many Iranians poverty and poor infrastructure As a result, some live in rural areas without clean drinking water or air conditioning. In 2022 reportThe WMO named Iran “one of the most vulnerable countries” with regard to climate change.
What is being done about the heat?
The Iranian government suspended its activities in August, but many countries are also taking action help protect Citizens from extreme heat and weather during invest into renewable energy to reduce further warming from heat-trapping gas pollution.
Citizens around the world continue to exert pressure governments like Iran's to increase their efforts. We can also all work in person reduce dependency on energy sources that increase warming.
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