Doobie Doo
Veteran
As the COP26 climate conference begins, here's a look at what life is like in one of the hottest cities on earth
Alia Shoaib
Oct 31, 2021, 6:02 AM
A brick kiln worker in Jacobabad, Pakistan, one of the world's hottest cities.
Shakil Adil/Amnesty International
The city of Jacobabad, in Sindh, Pakistan, is one of the hottest cities on earth.
In recent years, due to climate change, temperatures in Jacobabad have soared. In June 2021, the hottest day hit 125°F (52°C).
Over the past few decades, on several occasions, temperatures and humidity levels have reached a threshold described by experts as "hotter than a human body can handle"— one of only two cities in the world to hold that status.
At these heat and humidity levels, the human body's mechanisms to cool itself stop functioning.
A new report from Amnesty International chronicles the lives of Jacobabad residents, whose days are dominated by their quest to escape the heat.
Ahead of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Amnesty urged industrialized countries to help developing countries face the unprecedented threat.
Pakistan is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world.
A man passes out from heatstroke in the middle of the road in Jacobabad, Pakistan.
Shakil Adil/Amnesty International
Pakistan is expected to be among the countries worst affected by rising temperatures over the coming decades, according to Amnesty International.
For residents of Jacobabad in the province of Sindh, climate change is not a distant threat, but a lived reality.
Passing out from heatstroke is commonplace, and residents spend their days desperately seeking relief from the heat.
The city offers a glimpse into what life could look like in many other parts of the world.
Those living in poverty are most vulnerable.
A truck driver takes a nap under stacked tables in the blazing heat in Jacobabad, Pakistan.
Shakil Adil/Amnesty International
Those living in poverty are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, unable to access electricity, clean water, or adequate shelter.
Many men in Jacobabad work as daily wage laborers and are especially exposed to the heat.
Brick kiln workers, of which there are 5,000 in the city, produce a daily quota of 1000 bricks for less than $5 a day, Amnesty International said.
They work next to boiling ovens in the open air, often with no protection from the heat.
"It's hard to breathe when it is that hot, but if I rest, my family and I will go hungry. So how can I take a break?" said Gulab Birohi, a 70-year-old farmhand and brick kiln worker told Amnesty International.
Alia Shoaib
Oct 31, 2021, 6:02 AM
A brick kiln worker in Jacobabad, Pakistan, one of the world's hottest cities.
Shakil Adil/Amnesty International
- Due to climate change, temperatures in Jacobabad, Pakistan have soared. In June 2021, the hottest day hit 125°F.
- Jacobabad's residents' lives' are entirely dominated by their desperate quest to escape the heat.
- Experts warn that climate change will exacerbate existing poverty and inequality around the world.
The city of Jacobabad, in Sindh, Pakistan, is one of the hottest cities on earth.
In recent years, due to climate change, temperatures in Jacobabad have soared. In June 2021, the hottest day hit 125°F (52°C).
Over the past few decades, on several occasions, temperatures and humidity levels have reached a threshold described by experts as "hotter than a human body can handle"— one of only two cities in the world to hold that status.
At these heat and humidity levels, the human body's mechanisms to cool itself stop functioning.
A new report from Amnesty International chronicles the lives of Jacobabad residents, whose days are dominated by their quest to escape the heat.
Ahead of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Amnesty urged industrialized countries to help developing countries face the unprecedented threat.
Pakistan is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world.
A man passes out from heatstroke in the middle of the road in Jacobabad, Pakistan.
Shakil Adil/Amnesty International
Pakistan is expected to be among the countries worst affected by rising temperatures over the coming decades, according to Amnesty International.
For residents of Jacobabad in the province of Sindh, climate change is not a distant threat, but a lived reality.
Passing out from heatstroke is commonplace, and residents spend their days desperately seeking relief from the heat.
The city offers a glimpse into what life could look like in many other parts of the world.
Those living in poverty are most vulnerable.
A truck driver takes a nap under stacked tables in the blazing heat in Jacobabad, Pakistan.
Shakil Adil/Amnesty International
Those living in poverty are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, unable to access electricity, clean water, or adequate shelter.
Many men in Jacobabad work as daily wage laborers and are especially exposed to the heat.
Brick kiln workers, of which there are 5,000 in the city, produce a daily quota of 1000 bricks for less than $5 a day, Amnesty International said.
They work next to boiling ovens in the open air, often with no protection from the heat.
"It's hard to breathe when it is that hot, but if I rest, my family and I will go hungry. So how can I take a break?" said Gulab Birohi, a 70-year-old farmhand and brick kiln worker told Amnesty International.
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