Kuwait City has been dubbed the ‘Marseilles of the Gulf’ for its once booming fishing industry and coastal spots that attracted sun worshippers – but now it’s far too hot to be there

Kuwait City – known as the world’s hottest city – can be witness to scenes like out of an Old Testament passage, with birds falling from the sky and fish boiling in the waters.

The Middle Eastern city, once dubbed the “Marseilles of the Gulf” for its prosperous fishing industry and bustling beaches, has seen far better days – now suffering from sweltering heat that makes even the hottest European heatwaves seem cool by comparison.

Back in the day, Kuwait City was a hub for sun-seekers, much like Britain’s seaside towns with their Victorian allure. Today, however, while UK coastal favourite spots may grapple with commercial transitions to penny arcades, Kuwait City is scorchingly hot.

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On 21 July 2016, the Mitribah weather station in northern Kuwait recorded a temperature of 54C (129F) – the third-highest reading in the world. 2023’s scorching Cerberus Heatwave in Europe wouldn’t have caused much fuss in this Middle Eastern country, which bested Europe’s highs by 10C.

Projections show an increase of 5.5C (10F) by century’s end. In a telling sign of our warming globe, 2021 witnessed more than 19 days of 50C-plus heat in Kuwait – a staggering statistic that this year threatens to surpass.

Kuwait City, a metropolis primarily composed of harsh concrete and asphalt, is gradually becoming too hot for safe habitation. During the summer months, the outdoors becomes a perilous place for most of the day.

Scientific evidence also indicates that the already arid nation is receiving less rainfall annually, resulting in more frequent and severe dust storms.

There have been alarming accounts of birds dropping dead from the sky and seahorses being boiled alive in the bay. Even the toughest pigeons are seeking shelter from the sun’s intensity.

Temperatures reaching 50C are not merely uncomfortable, they’re hazardous. They’re 13C (55F) above body temperature and can lead to serious health complications such as heat exhaustion, heart problems, and even death if exposure is prolonged.

In an unprecedented move, the Kuwaiti government has permitted funerals to take place at night this year due to the extreme heat. These days, those who can afford it seldom venture outside, preferring to remain in the cool comfort of their air-conditioned homes, offices, or shopping centres. The current conditions have spurred the development of futuristic infrastructure.

One example is an indoor shopping street adorned with palm trees and European-style shops, offering customers a sanctuary from the brutal weather. A study in 2020 indicated that a striking two-thirds (67%) of home electricity consumption derives from continuously running air conditioning units.

Writing for ExpatsExchange, Joshua Wood praised the “high quality of life” in Kuwait, labelling it “modern, luxurious and safe”, but warned about the extreme heat, particularly from May to September, describing it as “very hot from May through September” and “insanely hot” during June to August.

Despite sizzling temperatures, Kuwait’s streets bustle with activity. The country’s demographic is heavily influenced by migrant labour, which forms approximately 70% of the populace, chiefly hailing from Arab countries and regions like South and Southeast Asia.

Attracted by the debated kafala system, these workers seek opportunities mainly in construction and household services, filling the sweltering buses and sidewalks of the nation’s capital.

Recent findings from the Institute of Physics underscore the heightened vulnerability of migrant labourers to adverse health impacts due to extreme weather conditions. The studies predict that if climate change continues unchecked, the incidence of heat-related mortalities could escalate by 5.1% to 11.7% across Kuwait’s residents by the end of this century, even soaring up to 15% amongst the non-Kuwaiti population.

Eco-warnings are frequently cast aside, yet in Kuwait’s scenario, the effects of global warming are glaringly evident – the state maintains an enormous carbon footprint, surpassed only by Bahrain and Qatar.

Kuwait lags behind its neighbours in climate commitments, having announced a modest target of 7.4% emission reduction by 2035 at COP26. Despite this, energy demand is expected to triple by 2030, as per Kuwaiti officials, largely driven by an increase in the use of air conditioning.

With the government subsidising much of the cost for electricity and water, there’s little incentive for consumers to conserve. This generous subsidy system extends to water sourced from energy-intensive desalination.

Salman Zafar, an environmental expert, has highlighted the stark reality: “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.”