Taxi drivers in Afghanistan create homemade coolers to deal with the heat. — AFP/File
Is your air conditioning out of order? Afghan taxi drivers have found an inventive way to keep cool for themselves and their passengers amid the extreme heat.
In Kandahar, Afghanistan, where temperatures frequently soar above 104°F (40°C), you can see blue taxis equipped with air conditioning units strapped to their roofs, routing cool air through passenger windows via exhaust hoses.
“It started getting really hot about three or four years ago. The air conditioning systems in these cars stopped working, and getting them fixed was too pricey. So, I went to a technician and had a custom cooler made,” explained driver Gul Mohammad.
This 32-year-old spent 3,000 Afghanis (about $43) on his device, which he connects to his taxi’s battery and regularly refills with water.
“This works better than built-in A.C. The original units only cool the front; this cooler distributes air throughout,” added fellow driver Abdul Bari.
Some drivers even use devices powered by solar panels mounted on their taxi roofs.
As one of the world’s poorest countries, Afghanistan is also struggling significantly with climate change issues.
Heat waves are common, and drought conditions are worsening across the nation.
Murtaza, a 21-year-old technician, noted that the demand for these coolers has been steadily increasing over the past few years.
“Many cars weren’t even equipped with air conditioning, which is why we’re installing these solutions,” he stated, during an interview at his small workshop in central Kandahar.
Afghan cities are often filled with outdated vehicles, many of which have been passed on from nearby countries.
“When there’s no cooler, it becomes extremely uncomfortable,” said Norullah, a 19-year-old passenger standing close to the cold air blast. “These drivers are tackling the situation, and that’s fantastic.”
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A man shields himself from the heat during a heat wave in New York City on June 24, 2025. — Reuters
On Tuesday, tens of millions of residents in major cities throughout the Northeastern United States are grappling with record-breaking temperatures as the heat wave, which has swept the country since late last week, reaches its peak.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), temperatures in Washington, D.C., and Boston could hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), surpassing prior records by as much as 10.8 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius).
In Central Park, New York City, the temperature could climb to 98.6°F (37°C), exceeding the previous record of 95°F (35°C). The NWS also indicates that other regions in the Eastern U.S., such as northern Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, may experience extreme temperatures.
Bob Oravec, the lead forecaster at the NWS in College Park, Maryland, stated, “Today is likely to be the worst day for widespread heat records,” noting that the Northeast is experiencing the most intense heat.
This extreme heat is disrupting public transportation across the region. Amtrak, the major passenger railroad service, announced it would need to reduce train speeds between Washington and New York and between Philadelphia and Harrisburg from noon to 8 PM on Tuesday, which could cause delays.
Some popular landmarks are also being affected; the National Park Service announced that the Washington Monument would be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the high temperatures.
Construction companies are making adjustments to ensure worker safety amid the harsh weather conditions. Jeff Wagner, communications manager at Fluor, shared that the company is providing cooling stations and heavy-duty water bottles for over 2,000 laborers working on a pharmaceuticals project in Indiana.
“We hold safety meetings every morning, and given the extreme heat this week, we’ve emphasized the importance of hydration and pacing themselves,” Wagner explained. He added that workers are starting their shifts an hour earlier to avoid the hottest parts of the day.
In New York City, voters heading to the polls for primary elections are facing the sweltering conditions. Alex Antzoulatis, a 53-year-old accountant who voted in Astoria, New York, expressed regret for not opting for mail-in voting. “I braved the 100°F heat to fulfill my civic duty, but the heat will likely deter many others,” he said.
The warm conditions are also taking a toll on agriculture across the U.S. Plains and into Canada. In Saskatchewan, western Canada, where a significant portion of the nation’s canola, spring wheat, and pulse crops are cultivated, unusually dry conditions in June have negatively affected recently seeded crops. Bill Prybylski, a farmer in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, noted that rain in recent days came too late, but the smoky air from nearby wildfires helped shield crops from direct sunlight.
Looking ahead, temperatures are expected to start declining on Wednesday. “For instance, Thursday’s high in New York is forecasted to be around 84°F, and Friday’s is expected to drop to 75°F,” Oravec noted.
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A woman uses an umbrella for shade against the sun in a market in Seoul, South Korea, on August 16, 2024. —AFP
PARIS: According to the EU’s climate monitoring service, global temperatures remained at near-record highs in April, perpetuating an unprecedented period of heat and raising concerns about the speed of global warming.
This remarkable heatwave was expected to diminish as warmer El Niño conditions receded last year; however, temperatures have stubbornly remained at or near record-breaking levels well into this year.
“As we approach 2025, we anticipated a return to normalcy, yet we find ourselves in a phase of accelerated warming,” remarked Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
“We seem to be in a state of limbo. The reasons behind this situation are not fully understood, but it is a highly concerning indicator,” he added to AFP.
The latest report from the Copernicus Climate Change Service revealed that April marked the second hottest month recorded in its dataset, which is based on billions of measurements collected from satellites, ships, planes, and weather stations.
Remarkably, all but one of the past 22 months have exceeded the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold established in the Paris Agreement, beyond which significant and enduring climate changes become increasingly likely.
Missed Goals
Many scientists now believe that this 1.5°C target is likely unattainable and that we may surpass it within a few years.
A substantial study involving numerous leading climate scientists, which has yet to undergo peer review, indicates that global warming reached 1.36°C in 2024.
According to Copernicus, the current warming level stands at 1.39°C, with projections suggesting that the 1.5°C benchmark could be reached by mid-2029 or even sooner based on recent trends.
“In just four years, we could surpass the 1.5 degrees mark. The crucial point is not to focus solely on the two-degree threshold but to center attention on 1.51 degrees,” stated Samantha Burgess from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which manages Copernicus.
Julien Cattiaux, a climate scientist with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), noted that crossing the 1.5°C threshold is likely before 2030, but that doesn’t mean we should lose hope.
“The alarming statistics highlight an accelerated rate of warming. While it’s said that every fraction of a degree matters, those are currently accumulating rapidly,” he told AFP.
“Nonetheless, we cannot let this deter our efforts to act.”
“Unprecedented” Conditions
Scientists broadly agree that the combustion of fossil fuels has primarily driven the long-term global warming trend, which has intensified the frequency and severity of extreme weather events.
However, uncertainty persists regarding what additional factors might be influencing this ongoing heatwave.
Experts suggest that alterations in global cloud dynamics, air pollution, and the Earth’s capacity to sequester carbon in natural reservoirs like forests and oceans could also be contributing to the planet’s overheating.
This heat surge led to 2023 and 2024 being recorded as the hottest years in history, with 2025 projected to follow closely behind.
“The past two years have been extraordinary,” Burgess remarked.
“They still fall within the predictions of current climate models, but we are operating at the upper limits of that range.”
She noted that while the current warming rate is concerning, whether it’s a long-term trend remains uncertain, emphasizing the need for more comprehensive data.
Copernicus’s records date back to 1940, but various other climate data sources, such as ice cores, tree rings, and coral skeletons, allow scientists to make assessments stretching much further into the past.
Experts believe we are likely experiencing the warmest period on Earth in the last 125,000 years.
