Composite image from INQUIRER files
The establishment of Pax Silica’s AI data centers in O’Donnell-Capas will generate regional heat island effects, with projected sustained temperature anomalies of 4.5 to 6 degrees Celsius compounded by El Niño drought cycles and monsoon wind curvature.
At peak amplification, effective field temperatures may reach 45 to 47 degrees Celsius. Rice spikelet sterility can occur above 35 to 36 degrees during flowering, preventing pollination and grain formation.
Under this scenario, the study projects that rice farming would become nonviable within the 12- to 15-kilometer core zone, forcing farmers to abandon traditional cultivation.
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