FTO Coordinator for taking painful decisions to counter extreme temperatures.

ISLAMABAD -- Coordinator to Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) Meher Kashif Younis Sunday said that painful decisions must be made as extreme heat threat grows and underdeveloped countries and poor nations would be even more vulnerable as they had lack of resources to mitigate against extreme temperatures.

Speaking at a seminar on 'How to counter growing threat of climate change", held under the aegis of Gold Ring Economic Forum, a strategic think tank, he said extreme heat is very much one of the major extreme weather events that threaten to alter the planet permanently, said a press release.

He said the past eight years were collectively the hottest on record and Southeast Asia is currently setting heat records.

Scientists have reported that drought in the Horn of Africa has been made 100 times more likely by climate change. Extreme heat caused by climate change threatens the way of life of millions of people, he expressed.

He said that 419 million people in 57 countries were vulnerable to 1.5 C of global warming over the next few years.

He said extreme heat will affect so many aspects of life and heat-related deaths will jump up and up. Working outdoors will become even more dangerous, not least in agriculture and the construction industry.

Air quality will continue to deteriorate. Crop yields are expected to decrease as growing seasons shorten and food insecurity threat will be on...