Why Heat Waves Are Rising in India (and Globally)

And how to survive them.

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Here in Eastern India, the heatwave conditions have become nearly impossible to tolerate. Usually, we get an Orange alert for heatwaves. From mid-April to the first week of May, we received regular red alerts from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). It has become a new normal for us here. I had to stop writing this article at one point because the heat was unbearable, even inside the house.

It wasn’t like this when I was a kid in the late 2000s. My friends and I used to wait eagerly for summers so that we could enjoy ice creams. We did not even know about heat waves. Sadly, it is no longer the scenario for today’s kids. Nobody can blame them for wanting to stay indoors in the air-conditioned rooms. So what went wrong within 16 years?

The World Meteorological Organization has said that Asia has been warming faster than the global average. While a few countries like China and Pakistan witness floods, India and Bangladesh experience heat waves. Climate-related catastrophes peaked at 79 for Asia in 2023, making it the second hottest year for the continent.

The State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report by WMO mentions that 2023 saw an almost 2 degrees Celsius rise above the 1961– 1990 average and 0.91 degrees Celsius increase from the 1991–2020 average. However, the “feels like” feature takes the temperature to an unreal (or real as per current climatic conditions) benchmark. Here’s a small example:

Picture by the author/ Date: 26th April

Unfortunately, this is why people are learning to adapt to these extreme weather changes by buying more ACs and coolers instead of reducing their carbon footprint. Momentary respite seems a better choice to the majority than giving priority to sustainable development goals.

This Is Why Heat Waves Are Rising Here

Climate change is the primary answer, and we all know it. The factors contributing to this change are immense and have been discussed in detail in the earlier write-ups of The New Climate. When it comes to heat, the role of rising deforestation is undermined. Forest fires, due to human activities, are another concerning factor. As if this wasn’t enough, a bizarre incident made the headlines where a few youngsters deliberately set fire to a forest in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, to show resentment.

Air Conditioners, I believe, also have a part to play in the increasing heat. Not just here but worldwide. This TIME Magazine article emphasizes the same and has termed it a “cooling war”, second to the Cold War (broadly 1947–1991) in terms of threatening living beings. ACs used Freon, a CFC refrigerant and aerosol propellant. The release of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbon) stood unprecedented by the 1970s as it crossed the mass accumulation of 500,000+ cars. CFCs cause the ozone layer (which helps block harmful ultraviolet rays) to deplete. Even a percent decline results in thousands of new cases of skin cancer.

Photo by Ashkan Forouzani on Unsplash

Experts thought about replacing CFCs with hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which later turned out to be harmful to Earth’s environment. However, it was too late for a realization. HFC is a greenhouse gas that traps the Sun’s radiation here and does not let the harmful rays escape to outer space. HFCs continued to cool millions of houses and cars worldwide for almost three decades. The process is still ongoing.

ACs also burden electricity supplies. Take a residential building with ten apartments (for example). Suppose each apartment has 5–6 units of air conditioners. It would automatically increase the burden on the energy supply. Now, imagine a hundred such buildings on a street. You will understand why we face power cuts in peak summer.

Unless we cut down our HFC & ultimately, electricity consumption, we will witness unprecedented heat with each passing year. Before buying an air conditioner, let us stop & think about why the world is desperately looking for cooling solutions.

Impact of Rising Heatwaves Worldwide

Picture by the author / A man covered his head with a cotton cloth to protect himself from the extreme heat

We are feeling the impact of rising heat waves before we read about them. I have seen healthy people collapsing and suffering around me due to the heat. Unfortunately, people around me are learning to adapt to these unreal conditions as the new normal. These adverse changes have a huge impact on the health of not just humans but also the animals around us.

1. Heat-related concerns like heat stroke and dehydration have become common. Children and adults with pre-existing health concerns are at a greater risk of being affected by regular dizziness and fatigue.
2. The environment is taking the burnt on an equal level. Events of wildfires are recorded now more often than ever. Even house plants like money plants are finding it difficult to thrive. River plain areas known for being highly alluvial are turning into dry landscapes.
3. Economically, the agricultural sector is probably the worst hit. Crop failures due to extreme weather events are rising in Asia. As per this article, reduced yields and stress on livestock can lead to food shortages.
4. Power cuts and electricity demand have been increasing simultaneously, putting a worldwide burden on our energy resources.

How Can We Prevent Heat Waves?

Photo by saira ahmed on Unsplash

This question prompted me while searching for the impacts of heat waves. I did not think of this because I assumed there was no way we could ‘prevent’ heat waves. The damage has been done already. That’s when I stumbled upon an article that lists how seven global cities are already tackling the concern.

1. Paris is creating around 800 cool islands across the city. While outside, people can venture to spaces like parks, water fountains, and public buildings like swimming pools and museums. The islands will have around 2 to 4 degrees Celsius lower than the actual scorching temperature.
2. The Colombian city of Medellin boasts 30 green corridors that provide shelter from the heat. The shady areas have been built around busy traffic routes, sidewalks, and parks.
3. The Spanish city of Seville was the first in the world to characterize heat waves at the same level as one would do for hurricanes in the US. Large awnings have been installed in public spaces under their ‘Policy of Shade’. The method is not new in the city and goes way back to the 1940s. While an average of 40 degrees Celsius is not new here, experts are predicting an average of 50 degrees Celsius that might make Seville an unlivable place.

Keeping Your Cool

The mitigation efforts by the local government provide only temporary relief. We still have to find other ways to keep ourselves cool. I have tried several methods.

My Pro-tip for effective rapid cooling is this:

Take a pure cotton cloth (preferably white) and soak it in cold water. Do not dry it completely. Fold it in two halves and place it on the back of your neck. If the heat is too much, you can also keep the cotton cloth over your head. The cold water provides quick cooling for an effective 30 minutes.

The current climate situation does not require gradual or baby steps. It calls for urgent strides from each individual. Gone are the days when developing countries would blame developed countries for alarming global warming and vice versa. It is time for us all to step up for the sake of our planet, and for our health.