Why the Middle East may be too hot to live in by the end of the century

One after another, European countries such as Spain and Portugal registered record highs this year. The northern hemisphere did indeed witness record temperatures, with wildfires engulfing parts of Europe and drought threatening food supplies. And, often, European cities witnessed hotter conditions than those in the Persian Gulf. But experts say that temperature alone isn't an adequate measure of the livability of a city -- a combination of heat and humidity is. And that's why the Middle East is far less livable than Europe even at the same temperatures. The Middle East is still quite hot. The Iranian city of Abadan set the record for the hottest dry heat temperature this year when it hit 53 degrees Celsius (127 degrees Fahrenheit) on August 5. But combine that with the high levels of humidity in the region and it becomes an even more inhospitable place for human beings. It's harder to cool down when the weather is humid, as our bodies struggle to transfer their heat to "wet" air rather than dry air, making it harder to sweat it out and lower our body temperatures.

The measure of heat combined with humidity is called the wet bulb temperature. The name stems from the way this condition is measured, literally by wrapping a wet cloth around a thermometer and measuring the temperature as the water evaporates. This speaks directly to our body's ability to cool itself through sweating.

"The wet bulb temperature is the lowest temperature that can be reached by evaporative cooling," Tapio Schneider, a professor of environmental science and engineering at the California Institute of Technology, told CNN. The Middle East is especially vulnerable to rising global temperatures. "The region is already warm and can be humid," he said. "Therefore, global warming can push it into the zone where human health is endangered." On July 19, the UK experienced its hottest day on record, surpassing temperatures of 40C for the first time, with a high of 40.3C in eastern England. On the same day, average temperatures in both London and Dubai were 34C -- but the wet bulb temperature in London was 20C, while Dubai was a more painful 27C.

The Persian Gulf is one of the few places in the world ever to record a wet bulb temperature that exceeds the threshold of human survivability, 35C. Since 2005, there have been nine separate occasions of this on record.

A wet bulb temperature of 35C means the body can no longer cool itself to a temperature that can maintain normal functions. "It is a hard threshold for survivability in that independent of age and fitness, humans cannot survive in those conditions; they will die within hours without special exertion," said Schneider. Wet bulb temperatures just under 35C aren't ideal either. "Humans experience heat stress at lower wet bulb temperatures too," he said. "And the degree to which they can survive such heat stress does depend on fitness, age, and pre-existing conditions." The oil-rich Arab states of the Persian Gulf have equipped themselves against the heat, with energy-intensive air conditioning, but other regional countries haven't been as privileged. In Iraq, employees in the city of Basra were asked to stay home due to high temperatures earlier this month. However, households only get up to 10 hours of electricity from the national grid, with those who can afford it paying private generator providers to cover the other hours.

In Gaza, residents cool off in the three to four hours of electricity they get per day, suffering for periods of up to 20 hours with no electricity daily. Similarly, Lebanon's government no longer provides more than two hours of electricity per day. And even in some Gulf Arab states, such as Kuwait, where there is a building boom, access to air conditioning isn't available to all, including construction workers toiling outdoors.

Research by Purdue University found that at around a wet bulb temperature of 32C, it becomes impossible even for healthy people to work outdoors, with physical labor having a limit of 31C.

An MIT simulation found that if the current pace of greenhouse emissions remains constant in the Persian Gulf, annual maximum wet bulb temperatures in cities such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha would exceed the threshold for human survivability (35C) several times a year by the end of the century.

The digest

Saudi activist gets 34 years in prison for Twitter activity

Saudi women's rights campaigner Salma al-Shehab, 33, was sentenced to 34 years in prison on Monday for publishing "false and tendentious rumors on Twitter," according to independent human rights organization ALQST and court documents viewed by CNN.

• Background: Al-Shehab, a PhD student at Leeds University in the United Kingdom, was arrested in January 2021 and subjected to questioning sessions over a period of 265 days before being brought to the Specialized Criminal Court, ALQST said in a statement. The mother of two was initially given a six-year sentence late last year which was increased to 34 years after al-Shehab filed an appeal, according to court documents. The charges filed against her by the Public Prosecution included "providing succor to those seeking to disrupt public order and undermine the safety of the general public and stability of the state, and publishing false and tendentious rumors on Twitter," ALQST added.

• Why it matters: Al-Shehab's prison sentence is the longest ever for a peaceful activist in the kingdom's history, according to ALQST. Lina Al-Hathloul, the organization's head of Monitoring and Communications, told CNN that al-Shehab had been arrested for supporting her sister Loujain al-Hathloul, a prominent activist who spent more than 1,000 days in jail. Lina Al-Hathloul said in the ALQST statement that al-Shehab's sentence "makes a mockery of the Saudi authorities' claims of reform for women and of the legal system," adding that it "shows that they remain hellbent on harshly punishing anyone who expresses their opinions freely."

Israeli army raids Palestinian civil society organizations in the West Bank The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) raided seven offices belonging to five Palestinian civil society organizations in the West Bank on Thursday morning, according to Israel's Ministry of Defense.

• Background: The five groups had been labeled as terrorist organizations by the Israeli government last year, which accused them of acting "undercover on the international front on behalf of the 'Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP),' to support its activity and further its goals." The Palestine Liberation Organization condemned the move, saying it will appeal to human rights organizations "to intervene immediately and condemn the closure of non-governmental organizations and pressure to reopen them."
• Why it matters: The move drew dismay and protests from international organizations. B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights watchdog, condemned the raids and described Israel's accusations as false. "We will continue to work with our colleagues in the Palestinian NGOs to dismantle the apartheid regime," a statement from the organization said. Although not directly connected, the news also comes after the worst bout of violence between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants since a brief war last May. Earlier in August, more than 40 Palestinian militants and civilians, including 15 children, were killed during two and a half days of fighting, after Israel launched strikes on targets of the Islamic Jihad militant group in Gaza. Palestinian militants launched more than 1,000 rockets back toward Israel.

Turkey's Erdogan meets with Ukraine's Zelensky and UN chief Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Volodomyr Zelensky and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the Ukrainian city of Lviv on Thursday, expressed concerns about the ongoing conflict around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, warning of the danger of "a new Chernobyl."

• Background: Ministers from Ukraine and Russia signed an agreement to unblock Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which was brokered by the UN and Turkey in Istanbul on July 22 amid concerns over a global food crisis. Urging Russia and Ukraine to find "the shortest and the fairest way to the negotiating table," the Turkish leader said on Thursday: "I maintain my belief that the war will eventually end at the negotiating table. In fact, [Zelensky] and Guterres echo this view." Zelensky responded by saying he was surprised by Erdogan's suggestion and that he has "no faith in the Russian Federation." "The people who are killing, raping, dropping rockets on our civilian infrastructures every day cannot want peace, so they have to free our territories first," the Ukrainian President added.

• Why it matters: Turkey has been hosting talks between delegates from Russia and Ukraine for months now, and Erdogan has been vying for a mediation role in the conflict. That role was seemingly elevated after Ankara helped broker the deal to allow exports of grain from the blockaded Ukrainian ports. In the process, Erdogan has been engaged in a strategic balancing act between Russia on one side, and Ukraine and the West on the other. At Thursday's meeting in Lviv, the Turkish President said, "We are ready to act as a facilitator or mediator towards the goal of reviving the negotiations over the parameters that took form in Istanbul."

What to watch

Climate change and poor water management are causing alarming droughts across the globe, drying up lakes that once flowed with abundant fresh water. Israel is hopeful, however, that by desalinating sea water from the Mediterranean, it can pump back fresh water into lakes across the country.

Watch the full report here:

Around the region

The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art was forced to temporarily close due to insect infestation, the museum said in a statement and apology on Wednesday.

The news broke after a video posted on the BBC Persian website went viral. It showed two silverfish crawling under the glass of a famous photograph taken by influential German photographers Bernd and Hilla Becher.

"The treasure works of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts, national wealth and their proper maintenance are the most important concern of all of us, and the attention and sensitivity of the Iranian art family is a valuable asset," the statement said. Once the museum became aware of the situation, pest control technicians rushed over to tackle the problem, it said. "Fortunately, this work was not damaged, and no insects were seen in the other works of the exhibition," it continued. The statement said that experts will be fumigating the building's exterior spaces, as it is likely the insects entered from outside. The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is one of the largest art museums in the country, carrying large collections of both Iranian and Western paintings. After the 1979 Iranian Revolution, many of the renowned Western art pieces were stored and hidden in the museum vault for decades. Now, the museum frequently displays artwork from around the world, including the United States and Europe. By Zeena Saifi

Photo of the day

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Zaire militia blamed for new massacre in DRC's volatile east

Notorious Zaire militants attack village in Ituri province – where they often fight CODECO militia over gold mines control – killing 22 civilians and wounding 16 others, officials say.

Over 120 militant groups roam the DRC's troubled east, where militia attacks on civilians are routine. (TRTWorld)

Fighters from the notorious Zaire militia have killed 22 villagers and wounded 16 more attending a wake in Ituri province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), officials said.

Militiamen entered the village of Damas in the Mabendi area of Ituri's Djugu territory at around 11 pm on Friday night and killed 22 people, said DRC army spokesperson Lieutenant Jules Ngongo on Saturday.

"We condemn this attack," he said, adding that soldiers are currently pursuing the militants.

The Zaire militia describes itself as a self-defence group whose mission is to protect members of the Hema community against attacks from the CODECO militia representing the rival Lendu community.

The Lendu and Hema communities have a long-standing feud that led to thousands of deaths between 1999 and 2003 before intervention by a European peacekeeping force.

Violence resumed in gold-rich Ituri in 2017, which has been blamed on the emergence of the CODECO.

Volatile region

Pilo Maka, the chief of a group of local villages, said that people in Damas had been attending a wake when Zaire militants appeared and started firing into the crowd.

He confirmed the death toll of 22 people and said that 16 more were gravely wounded.

The CODECO and Zaire militias often fight for control of gold mines in the area, Maka said, "without worrying" about civilian casualties.

Over 120 militant groups roam the DRC's troubled east, where militia attacks on civilians are routine.

For example, suspected rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces militia –– which Daesh describes as its central African affiliate –– killed 10 civilians in Ituri on Friday and Saturday.

DRC is also fighting notorious M23 rebels in the region, who it says are backed by neighbouring Rwanda, which denies the allegations.

The DRC's government put members of the security forces in charge of Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu province last year in a bid to stem violence, but attacks have continued.

Source: AFP

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Thousands of children uprooted from DRC's strife-torn east

Since March, "more than 190,000 people, half of them children, have been forced to leave their villages in the Rutshuru and Nyiragongo areas" of North Kivu province, says UN's children's agency.

Rutshuru has seen a resurgence of violence in recent months with the presence of M23 rebels, who have been fighting DRC's army. (AFP Archive)

Thousands of children have been forced to flee their homes in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where security forces are battling M23 rebels, the UN's children's agency said.

Since March, "more than 190,000 people, half of them children, have been forced to leave their villages in the Rutshuru and Nyiragongo areas," UNICEF said in a statement on Saturday.

"Thousands of children are at risk and have very limited access to basic social services needed for their survival in this crisis," Grant Leaity, UNICEF representative in the DRC, said after visiting Rutshuru, in North-Kivu province.

The situation is likely to persist as people are afraid to return home, said Leaity who recently visited the Rutshuru area where he met with those displaced.

In Kalengera the number of displaced people has more than doubled the existing population.

"Displaced families and host families are in urgent need of food, household items, health and water assistance, hygiene and sanitation," UNICEF said.

"Humanitarian assistance is slow to arrive while needs continue to increase alarmingly," the agency said.

"Due to a lack of assistance, some displaced people are forced to return to their home villages located in unstable" frontline positions, UNICEF warned.

"It is imperative we act now to prevent a significant increase in cases of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition."

M23 violence

Rutshuru has seen a resurgence of violence in recent months with the presence of M23 rebels, who have been fighting DRC's army.

M23, the "March 23 Movement", is a former Tutsi-dominated rebel group that was defeated in 2013.

But it took up arms late last year, attacking government forces and UN peacekeepers, taking control of several areas.

Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the rebels, a charge Rwanda denies.

Source: AFP

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More than 50 million face acute food insecurity across east Africa

East Africa bloc has announced nearly 50 million people across the region are expected to face acute food insecurity this year.

Aid groups and other watchdogs have been calling for more funds to be devoted to East Africa after the war in Ukraine grabbed the world's attention and money. (Reuters)

More than 50 million people across the East African region are expected to face acute food insecurity this year.

Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, warned on Friday that some 300,000 in Somalia and South Sudan are projected to be under full-blown famine conditions.

The assessment by IGAD is one of the most dire yet as United Nations agencies, humanitarian groups and others continue to raise alarm over the region's food crisis that many say has been largely neglected as the international community focuses on the war in Ukraine. 

That assessment applies to seven member states of IGAD, from Djibouti to Uganda.

Samantha Power, the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, is travelling in East Africa to spotlight the hunger crisis in the region.

In Kenya's capital Nairobi on Friday, Power announced at least $255 million in drought-related humanitarian and development support to Kenya. She is expected to visit Ethiopia and Somalia, where some communities have suffered four consecutive failed rainy seasons.

Power earlier in the week spoke of the need to prevent the global food crisis from becoming a catastrophe, announcing $1.2 billion in funding that includes immediate food assistance for people in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.

READ MORE: World hit by 'unprecedented hunger crisis', 2023 could be worse — UN

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Export restrictions

In addition to immediate humanitarian aid, the international community must sustain investment in global agriculture and undertake concerted diplomacy “so that we mobilise more resources from donors, avoid export restrictions that can exacerbate the crisis, and lessen the burden on poor countries,” Power said in a speech Monday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Aid groups and other watchdogs have been calling for more funds to be devoted to East Africa after the war in Ukraine grabbed the world's attention and money.

READ MORE: UN: Millions of people facing severe hunger in West Africa's Sahel

Source: AP

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