Multiple heatwave events and temperatures touching 48-49° C periodically means that March and April 2022 have been the hottest in 122 years. Climate change, induced by increased man-made greenhouse gas emissions, is a critical driver of rising extreme heat. While large parts of the country experienced scorching temperatures, in the east, higher-than-normal temperatures were accompanied by cyclones, floods and landslides. The periodicity, intensity and spread of extreme weather events have increased conspicuously. It is in this climate-constrained context that India will have to grow its economy. Dealing with climate change and its impacts will require more than substitution fixes. It will require a radical transformation of the way economies grow and develop.
There are no easy fixes. It is necessary to adapt to higher temperatures, longer heatwave events as well as reduce and avoid runaway rise in emissions. This requires better systems focused on minimising resource waste through increased circularity and reduced stress on power systems. Rather than relying on air-conditioners, there must be plans to build so as to reduce cooling demands, and improve energy and material efficiency. Habitations must incorporate elements to deal with heat, such as cool roofs, more green patches, improved air flow, as well as affordable, accessible and reliable integrated mass public transport that would aggregate energy requirements. Climate change must inform the entire economy.
The socioeconomic cost is substantial. Rising heat could lead to a loss of 2.5-4.5% of GDP annually. The deleterious impact on extreme heat on agricultural productivity is evident - 10-15% of the wheat crop was lost this season to the recent heatwaves. Rising food inflation, as a result of this loss, will impact India's economy. Sustained high temperatures make it difficult to work, impacting productivity. India can no longer afford to ignore climate change as a defining issue while designing policy. Even though it's a global problem, it is we in the subcontinent who are suffering the consequences disproportionately.
There are no easy fixes. It is necessary to adapt to higher temperatures, longer heatwave events as well as reduce and avoid runaway rise in emissions. This requires better systems focused on minimising resource waste through increased circularity and reduced stress on power systems. Rather than relying on air-conditioners, there must be plans to build so as to reduce cooling demands, and improve energy and material efficiency. Habitations must incorporate elements to deal with heat, such as cool roofs, more green patches, improved air flow, as well as affordable, accessible and reliable integrated mass public transport that would aggregate energy requirements. Climate change must inform the entire economy.
The socioeconomic cost is substantial. Rising heat could lead to a loss of 2.5-4.5% of GDP annually. The deleterious impact on extreme heat on agricultural productivity is evident - 10-15% of the wheat crop was lost this season to the recent heatwaves. Rising food inflation, as a result of this loss, will impact India's economy. Sustained high temperatures make it difficult to work, impacting productivity. India can no longer afford to ignore climate change as a defining issue while designing policy. Even though it's a global problem, it is we in the subcontinent who are suffering the consequences disproportionately.
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