An India-specific study published in ‘Science Advances’ has found that even a small rise in temperature can make mass heat-related deaths go up several times. The study used data from the Indian Meteorological Department to analyse changes in summer temperature and the new discovery is that temperatures across India have risen by 0.5 degrees Celsius over the last 50 years. This resulted in an increase in heatwave days to eight. This rise in temperature is being driven by rise in greenhouse gasses and climate change. Long-terms forecasts are tricky to predict, but a scenario in which climate change heats up the earth is no longer a theory. In 2100 about 47 per cent of the population in India will be subjected to aggressive heatwaves and this figure could go up to 74 per cent if emissions continue to grow. The poor are the ones who will be most vulnerable to climate change. Power usage will spike in order to beat the heat, but, unfortunately, this is not the ideal way of mitigating problems arising out of climate change. Consumption habits need to change. Transportation issues need to be resolved and mass transport will have to replace individual travel. Power generation has to move from fossil fuels to renewable sources. Only a concerted world effort can retrieve the situation.
