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Ecology & Environment
Mahesh

08/12/22 10:45 AM IST

Heatwaves in India could soon break human survivability limit, says World Bank analysis

In News
  • A new report by the World Bank suggests India could soon become one of the first places in the world to experience heatwaves that break the human survivability limit.
Major Findings
  • In April 2022, India suffered an early spring heat wave that saw temperatures in New Delhi, topping 46 degrees Celsius.
  • The month of March, which witnessed extraordinary spikes in temperatures, was the hottest ever recorded.
  • The heatwaves would be devastating for many poor and marginalized communities across India, who live in inadequately ventilated, hot, and crowded homes without proper access to cooling.
  • Only eight per cent of Indian households own air-conditioning units, according to an analysis presented in the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP), 2019. 
Impact of heatwaves
  • By 2030, India may account for 34 million of the projected 80 million global job losses from heat stress-associated productivity decline.
  • Analysis by global management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company shows that lost labour from rising heat and humidity could put up to 4.5% of India’s GDP
  • India’s long-term food security and public health securitywill depend on a reliable cold chain network. A single temperature lapse in the journey can break the cold chain, spoiling fresh produce and weakening the potency of vaccines.
  • Heat conditions can alter human behaviour, the transmission of diseases, air quality, and critical social infrastructures such as energy, transport, and water.
  • The third largest producer of pharmaceuticals in the world, pre-COVID-19, India lost approximately 20 per cent of temperature-sensitive medical products and 25 per cent of vaccines due to broken cold chains, leading to losses of $313 million a year.
Source- DTE

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