If you've ever lived in a Gulf country, you know how vital air conditioning is to survival, especially during the summer. Things aren't so different in Saudi Arabia where technical faults in AC units literally translate into complete shutdown.
On Sunday, Jeddah's Public Courthouse had to delay trials after the premises' central air conditioning system stopped working.
According to Okaz Newspaper, several people involved in legal cases asked the court to postpone their sessions because "they couldn't bear the heat." Okaz contacted an official at the Ministry of Justice to inform them of the incident and get a statement on the matter. The man said he will check with concerned authorities and make sure they follow up on the case.
It's not so much of a surprise that many couldn't deal with the AC breakdown incident especially given the fact that Sunday was a hot summer day in Saudi Arabia. Local meteorology reports stated that temperatures peaked up to 40 degrees Celsius (in the shade) in cities across the nation.
Overall, this summer has been one of the hottest the kingdom has ever seen, with temperatures skyrocketing to over 50°C.
Praise be the AC
For decades, countries across the Gulf have been reliant on ACs during summer months. Apartment blocks, schools, hospitals, and most major government offices in these states implement central air conditioning systems.
Given that this year saw several countries in the region record their highest summer temperatures to date, we foresee that air conditioning is going to become even more vital to human life around here.
Extreme heatwaves have affected many countries across the Arab world this summer. Kuwait, for example, witnessed unbearable heat with temperatures reaching a scorching 52°C in the shade. Saudi Arabia experienced a major heatwave in June with temperatures hitting 55°C in some cities. In Iraq, the heat broke world records as temperatures hit 55.6°C in the Misan governorate. In May, temperatures boiled up to 45°C in Cairo, Egypt, and Jordan's Al Aghwar.
Rising temperatures have been attributed to effects of climate change
June has been announced as the hottest month the earth has witnessed in 140 years. Rising temperatures in the region and abroad have been attributed to climate change. In the Arab world, the issue has long been neglected by many local governments though it's a pressing matter that affects the entire globe.
Earlier this year, a report detailing different countries' role in the battle against climate change was released. In it, Morocco was named the fourth-best country, while Saudi Arabia was named the worst. Arab countries should definitely follow suit in Morocco's action before the region becomes uninhabitable by the end of the century as indicated in a 2016 report.
"MENA is a climate change hotspot that could turn into a scorching area in summer," the researchers wrote in the study published in the scientific journal Climatic Change.
