Editorial: Grave warning signals

The writing on the wall is very clear. The scorching heatwave currently sweeping large swathes of India is a grim reminder of the dangers of climate change, a result of the unbridled exploitation of natural resources like coal and other fossil fuels. Such intense heat waves, with many areas recording the hottest March temperatures in […]

The writing on the wall is very clear. The scorching heatwave currently sweeping large swathes of India is a grim reminder of the dangers of climate change, a result of the unbridled exploitation of natural resources like coal and other fossil fuels. Such intense heat waves, with many areas recording the hottest March temperatures in 120 years, are the clearest indicators that climate change impacts the entire world. This comes as a vindication of the warning issued by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its report two months ago about India’s vulnerabilities to extreme heat. Many parts of the country are in the grip of a severe heatwave that is impacting millions of lives as well as livelihoods. A nationwide surge in electricity demand has triggered a power crisis, putting coal supplies under considerable strain. Agriculture, the most resilient sector during the pandemic, is struggling to withstand the tough conditions. Heatwaves have killed more than 6,500 people in India since 2010 and scientists say climate change is making them harsher and more frequent. For every additional increment of global warming, changes in extremes will continue to be larger. There is a general consensus among experts that extreme temperatures are directly linked to climate change. For too long, India has been slow off the blocks on this critical front. During the Climate Summit at Glasgow last November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced enhanced climate targets for India — increasing the non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts and meeting 50% of the country’s energy needs through renewable sources by 2030.

However, there are fears that this deadline will be missed as several States, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, are not doing enough to substantially increase their non-fossil energy capacity. It is baffling that solar energy’s vast potential remains underexploited in a country which witnesses sunny days for most of the year. The emissions caused by the burning of coal and other fossil fuels are worsening the situation. One of the world’s major consumers of coal, India needs to expedite its phase-out plans for this polluting fuel, overdependence on which can spell disaster. The most effective way of making that switch is to generate energy from sustainable sources like wind and solar. To switch to clean energy, the country must invest heavily in R&D and chalk out clear plans that are environmentally friendly for sectors like infrastructure, transport, industrial production and forestry. The country’s food security can also come under threat if immediate efforts are not made to sensitise farmers about opting for climate-smart practices like judiciously using fast-dwindling natural resources. The heat has already started to singe us and we no longer have the luxury of putting off till tomorrow what we must do today to arrest the slide. It’s now or never.

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