A devastating heatwave that swept across India and Pakistan in late April and early May has killed at least 47 people, with 37 deaths reported in India and 10 in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city. Temperatures exceeded 46 degrees Celsius in several cities, making outdoor activity dangerous and straining power grids and water supplies.
A team of researchers with World Weather Attribution has analyzed the event and found that such extreme heat is now three times as likely to occur on a warming planet compared to a pre-industrial climate. The study concludes that heat on this scale is now expected once every five years, making it no longer an extreme event but rather what researcher Mariam Zachariah of Imperial College London called a regular reality.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence linking specific weather events to climate change in real time. South Asia is particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, with large populations working outdoors in agriculture and construction, and many homes lacking air conditioning.
The heatwave is also raising concerns about the upcoming FIFA 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States starting June 12. A separate analysis by World Weather Attribution found that one in four World Cup matches could take place in dangerous heat conditions, with many games scheduled at mid-day or afternoon when temperatures peak.
In the United States, a new report calling for an overhaul of FEMA only mentions the word climate once in its 74 pages, despite 2025 being the third-highest year for billion-dollar weather disasters in U.S. history. Experts warn the proposed changes could erode the country's capacity to handle disasters that are increasing as climate change worsens.