Pilgrim Progress
This year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia was deadly, with more than 1,300 Muslims dying this month. according to the Associated press, because of the extremely warm weather it has averages over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fatalities are not new to the Hajj, which affects many people deadly stampede And disease outbreakbut this latest incident underlines the growing impact of global warming and climate change on Saudi Arabia, which has warmed significantly compared to other regions.
About this year’s deaths, Saudi health officials told the AP that more than 80 percent of them were “unauthorized pilgrims” – meaning they did not a special, exclusive Hajj travel visa.
Some had sneaked into the Hajj on regular tourist visas to Saudi Arabia, which did not include the Hajj. Without authorized access, they had to walk long distances and had no hotel reservations for rest and recovery from the extreme heat.
Holy mission
The extreme heat could be a sign of the impact of climate change on Saudi Arabia and the Hajj pilgrimage, a requirement for every Muslim who has the money and physical ability to complete it, and is considered the largest gathering in the world with approximately 2 million visitors per year.
a study which was released in March in the Journal of Travel Medicine pointed out that temperatures in Mecca, where the Hajj meets, have risen steadily over the past four decades, with the average dry temperature increasing by 0.72 degrees Fahrenheit per decade.
And a 2021 study published in the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology revealed that Saudi Arabia has become 50 percent warmer since 1979 compared to other regions in the Northern Hemisphere.
“If the current trend continues in the future, it will be impossible for humans in the region to survive without continuous access to air conditioning,” the researchers wrote.
This poses a challenge to the Hajj, which is performed in the open air and becomes unbearable if held during the summer months. (The Hajj season varies from year to year depending on the lunar calendar.)
Although it is considered a blessing if you die during HajjMore deaths due to escalating heat during future hajjs is a tragedy waiting to happen.
More about extreme heat: Experts fear horrific heat waves that could kill tens of thousands of people at once
