For those of you who live in India, you must have noticed it has got perceptibly hotter. So hot, that on most afternoons it is difficult to get a coherent thought forming. So hot that it is impossible to step out for large parts of the day. It starts early, builds up, and stays hot. In early April, large swathes of India were recording temperatures that touched over 44 degrees Celsius. Delhi has been almost consistently at temperatures touching 40 degrees for over a month now. Wave after wave of relentless heat has been overwhelming most parts of India since just after Holi. It is almost as though we have moved sharply from a colder than normal winter, to a blazingly hotter than normal summer. Spring, which allowed our bodies to gradually get used to the growing heat, has been conspicuous by its absence.
Our body’s normal temperature ranges between 36.1 to 37.1 degrees Celsius. When temperatures outside rise above that considerably, like it is now, the body responds. Science tells us that the brain starts telling the body to slow down. And we feel drained out and exhausted. Our motion seems heavier and slower and needs more effort. At temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius, the possibility of a heat stroke is very real. The health impact of the heat is very real, especially on children, older citizens, and those with comorbidities. The last month or so has been especially tough on them, and there seems to be no end in sight.
For the last 20 odd years, India has been facing rather unpredictable weather patterns. It seems like our monsoons have moved by a month, and our winters and summers feel colder and hotter respectively. The number of floods and the number of droughts has increased – bringing with it, their own toll. In a paper published in the ‘Journal of Weather and Climate Extremes’, researchers estimate that over 17,000 people have died in the last 50 years due to heatwaves, in India. The authors of the paper studied weather patterns across the nation and have concluded that India, and consequently Indians, are seeing more extreme weather events – and this includes flooding, cold waves, tropical storms, and heatwaves. Because of global warming, weather patterns are changing, leaving millions of us at risk.
As the temperature rises, so does the demand for basics – electricity, and water. Many parts of the country have been hit with unscheduled power cuts that last hours. As temperatures soar, more and more of those who can, turn down their ACs and turn up their fans. Given that energy is a finite resource, more consumption by one set of segments will lead to less availability for everyone else. India is currently contemplating reopening 100 coal mines that were shut for being financially unviable, to meet the demand for basics. While India is trying to reduce its carbon footprint, we also need to, on an urgent basis, provide energy for the people of India. While the remaining systems of less polluting energy sources are brought into play in the medium term, the government must solve the energy needs of today, with what it has.
This summer, as temperatures soar, and the nation bakes and boils slowly - it is evident that liveable temperatures would become a fundamental human need. However, unlike in the developed West, most Indians do not have the option of going home and switching on the AC and cooling down. Even if every Indian could afford air conditioning or cooling, it is unlikely that it would be available to us on tap, the way Americans have. For us, to live and work humanely, we need to put cooling for the people, at the top of our priority list. One key priority for Indian scientists and researchers would be to look at how to ensure there are mass cooling systems available that don’t break the bank or overheat the planet.
Over the last three decades or so, the conversation around global warming has heated up. And, while there is pressure on nations like India and China – who are trying to provide basics to their people – there is little pressure on the West to do the same. While China is, technically speaking, the world’s largest polluter, having overtaken the USA, much of that pollution is through its manufacturing activities that satisfies the consumption needs of the West. The Chinese people pay for the cost of western consumption in polluted surroundings. The pressure on India to cut emissions is huge.
While nations can negotiate till the cows come home, on minor incremental steps to reduce global warming, the threat of devastation looms large. Nothing you or I do to reduce our own carbon footprint can really change things. The only thing that can, is political will, and the need to look for cheap and clean energy is going to be at the core of it. While the governments of India have tried to harness the power of nature to provide energy, it takes time. But, beyond energy, the government needs to look at how we will be living as people in twenty years because of climate change, and plan for that in terms of work hours, infrastructure, housing, health, and more. Because it is very likely that the heatwave we are seeing now is a precursor to future climatic trends. And we need to be ready.
(The writer works at the intersection of digital content, technology, and audiences. She is a writer, columnist, visiting faculty, and filmmaker. She tweets at @calamur)
