Kuwait City is one of the hottest places on Earth and the scorching heat is causing chaos for both humans and wildlife as our planet continues to face the realities of climate change
Kuwait City, once known as a blissful “Marseilles of the Gulf”, is now witnessing heat so extreme that animals are being cooked alive.
The Middle Eastern metropolis has become a clear indicator of the harrowing effects of climate change, with birds dropping dead from the scorching heavens and fish boiling in the water.
Back in the halcyon days, Kuwait City thrived as a bustling hub with a flourishing fishing industry and idyllic beaches that lured in basking holidaymakers. But now, it’s gripped by an overwhelming problem of potentially uninhabitable temperatures.
A staggering 54C (129F) was recorded on 21 July 2016 at Mitribah weather station, placing Kuwait third in the solar frying stakes with one of the globe’s most torrid temperatures. Even Europe’s former Cerberus Heatwave pales in comparison, trailing behind Kuwait’s zenith by a whole 10 degrees Celsius.
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An ominous forecast looms as climate experts project that this desert country may blaze ahead with a temperature increase of up to 5.5C (10F) by century’s end relative to figures from the early 2000s. In 2023, the mercury spiked past 50C (122F) on nineteen occasions, a tally that’s feared might just be a starting point.
Urban development has transformed Kuwait City into a sweltering expanse of relentless concrete and asphalt, regions that are fast turning too fiery for safe habitation come summertime.
In further alarm, scientific records trace a downturn in annual precipitation, amplifying fierce dust storms that whip through the increasingly arid nation. The scorching heatwave has led to harrowing scenes with birds dropping dead from the sky and seahorses cooked alive in the bay, as even robust pigeons seek respite from the sun’s relentless blaze.
With temperatures soaring to a life-threatening 50C, which is a staggering 13C above human body temperature, the risks of heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and cardiac complications escalate dramatically.
In an unprecedented move, Kuwait has permitted nocturnal funerals due to the unbearable heat, while the wealthy retreat into their air-conditioned sanctuaries, be it homes, offices, or malls.
This extreme weather has spurred the creation of futuristic structures like an indoor shopping avenue, complete with palm trees and European-style boutiques, offering shoppers an escape from the brutal climate.
A 2020 study revealed that a massive two-thirds of domestic electricity consumption is attributed to the relentless use of air conditioning.
Writing for ExpatsExchange, Joshua Wood praised Kuwait for its “high quality of life” in a “modern, luxurious and safe” environment but cautioned about the intense heat, describing it as “very hot from May through September” and reaching “insanely hot” levels during the peak summer months of June to August.
Despite the sweltering heat, the streets are far from deserted. Migrant workers, predominantly from Arab, South and South East Asian nations, constitute about 70% of the country’s population.
Many people are enticed to move to Kuwait and work in sectors like construction or household services. These workers populate the steaming public buses of the capital city and crowd the streets.
Research conducted in 2023 by the Institute of Physics indicated that migrant workers can be particularly vulnerable to adverse health effects due to exposure to severe temperatures. The study suggests that by the end of the century, climate change could lead to a rise in heat-related deaths by 5.1% to 11.7% across the entire population, and even up to 15% among non-Kuwaiti individuals.
Warnings about the planet are often overlooked, yet in Kuwait where the devastating effects of climate change are already evident – the carbon footprint is enormous – only Bahrain and Qatar’s is higher.
While neighbouring countries have committed to significant reductions in emissions, Kuwait’s pledges seem insignificant in comparison. At COP26, the country announced it would only reduce emissions slightly (7.4%) by 2035.
Kuwaiti government officials predict that energy demand will triple by 2030. This is largely due to the anticipated increase in the use of indoor cooling systems.
The government footing a large portion of the electricity bill has led to a lack of incentive for people to curb their usage. Water consumption follows a similar pattern due to energy-intensive processes.
Environmental expert Salman Zafar highlighted the potential consequences of global warming for Kuwait, stating: “Kuwait could be potentially facing serious impacts of global warming in the form of floods, droughts, depletion of aquifers, inundation of coastal areas, frequent sandstorms, loss of biodiversity, significant damage to ecosystem, threat to agricultural production and outbreak of diseases.”