South Sudan’s government closed all schools from March 18th as it prepared for an extreme heatwave that was expected to last two weeks. The health and education ministries advised parents to keep all children indoors as temperatures were expected to soar to 45C. The government did not specify how long schools would remain closed, but it warned that any school found open would have its registration withdrawn.
 　South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011, making it the world’s newest nation. Residents of the new country described difficult conditions. “This heat is very serious. We come to the office early and leave late in order to avoid the heat,” said one worker. People were advised to drink water regularly and avoid alcohol and too much caffeine and sugar, which are dehydrating.
 　The global average surface temperature reached 1.45C above pre-industrial levels last year, just below the 1.5C threshold that scientists believe will result in accelerating climate chaos. Because of these record-high temperatures on both land and sea in 2023, the UN has issued red alert on global warming. It looks like 2024 will be another record-hot year too.

　南蘇丹政府從3 月18 日起關閉所有學校，為預期持續兩週的極端熱浪預作準備。由於氣溫預期將飆升至攝氏45度，衛生部和教育部建議家長讓所有兒童待在室內。政府沒有說明學校將停課多久。但警告，學校若被發現違規開放，將會被撤銷註冊登記。
　南蘇丹在2011年脫離蘇丹獨立，成為世界上最年輕的國家。南蘇丹居民描述熱浪導致的困境。一名職員說：「高溫非常嚴重。為了避開高溫，我們只好早一點來上班，並晚一點離開辦公室。」政府建議民眾多喝水，避免飲酒或攝入過多咖啡因和糖，因為這些物質易導致脫水。
　去年，全球平均地表溫度比工業化前的水平高了1.45 度，僅略低於1.5 度這個臨界值；科學家認為，這將導致氣候加速惡化。由於2023年海陸氣溫均創歷史新高，聯合國針對全球暖化發出紅色警戒。而2024年預期也將是刷新紀錄的高溫年。