Voters queue up to exercise their franchise in Tripura. (Express photo by Abhisek Saha)
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for a severe heatwave over Eastern parts of the country, including West Bengal and Odisha. The met office has said that humidity is likely to aggravate people’s inconvenience in the southern parts of the country. Last week, Union Minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari fainted while speaking at an election rally in eastern Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district amid the scorching heat.
Heat waves were, of course, always a part of the summers. But climate change is making such spells of scorching heat more extreme. An IMD report, earlier this month, had warned that the country could see longer stretches of high temperatures this summer. In both its reports, the agency has advised people to watch out for symptoms such as dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke. These conditions can be life-threatening if left untreated, and it is essential to seek medical attention immediately if any symptoms are experienced. Last year, a sunstroke-related tragedy in Navi Mumbai highlighted the need to be prepared for weather vagaries. As experts are now pointing out, the effects of rising temperatures in several parts of the country are compounded by the humidity factor. The Navi Mumbai tragedy is now seen as a result of the combined effect of heat and humidity. According to the IMD, such “moist heat stress” has increased by more than 30 per cent since 1990. Last year, a World Weather Attribution study found that the “extreme humid heat in South Asia in April 2023, was largely driven by climate change, and is detrimental to vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.”
Protecting people
In an article in this newspaper (Health on a hot planet, IE, April 26) public health expert and Distinguished Professor of Public Health, K Srinath Reddy underlined the challenges posed by a warming world. “While the progressively severe effects of heat stress (heat exhaustion, heat stroke, circulatory failure and death) are well recognised, the effect of severe or prolonged heat exposure on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is not often discussed in the public domain. Yet, these can severely damage health, through acute and chronic effects. Even as of now, NCDs contribute to 65 per cent of deaths in India — a majority of them in productive mid-life,” he wrote.
The heat waves also carry the message that countries will need to frame policies to strengthen the defences of people against climate change. Earlier this month the Supreme Court too had underlined such an imperative by recognising the rights for people in India to be free of the adverse impacts of global warming. The manifestoes of the countries major political parties, especially the BJP and Congress, do make the right noises about sustainability. They have been doing so for about 10 years. But in a country that gets a lot of bad press because of its air and water pollution, green issues are yet to become talking points during elections. It’s one thing giving issues space in manifestoes, it’s another using the election to build groundswell for environmental and sustainability. Unlike in several parts of the world – including developing and emerging economies in Latin America — the Indian electorate finds itself lacking candidates who prioritise climate and green issues.
Making difficult choices
Addressing environmental issues requires making difficult choices and tough decisions, both at the societal and governmental levels. The lack of conversations on these issues during the biggest celebration of Indian democracy is, therefore, troubling. The absence of a groundswell comes to bite during periods of emergency – extreme pollution, for example — when green interventions appear as topdown to sections of people.
India has the largest population exposed to extreme weather events, a proportion of people that has increased since 2010. Studies have indicated that climate change could shave off 3-4 per cent of India’s GDP in the next decade, owing to lost labour from heat and humidity. Climate-induced disruptions could trigger large scale migrations and this, in turn, could affect the tropes of politics.
Securing jobs, making agriculture sustainable, bolstering national and energy security, providing housing and increasing healthcare facilities will be the mandate for any party that occupies office after June 4. It is increasingly becoming evident that such policies cannot succeed without factoring in the challenge of climate change.
Till next time,
Take care
Kaushik
