At present, several regions in Maharashtra, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha have already experienced temperatures of 40 to 42 degrees Celsius. The World Bank came out with a report last year that predicted a rise in heat wave in India that could break the human survivability limit.... India could suffer a loss in its GDP to the tune of 2.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent by 2030 from only lost labour hours due to extreme heat and humidity conditions. ..
What we need immediately is pumping money into social welfare schemes that would give direct relief to a majority of people. Think of NREGA, the funds for which were cut down drastically in this yearโs budget. When agriculture production drops, people would seek jobs elsewhere, and in such a situation, NREGA could be a lifeline for lakhs of people in villages. Similarly, NREGA-like scheme needs to be extended to urban areas, guaranteeing a minimum number of work days for the urban poor. So ideally, the number of days in NREGA should have been increased. So that people get at least something to survive the harsh summers. Instead, the Govt went for budget cuts and a compulsory digital attendance system which is making people lose their days and wages. The ongoing NREGA workerโs protest in the capital is a testimony to the fact of how inadequate these measures are.
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Rising heat wave to threaten human survival level, says new World Bank reportย https://newsonair.com/2022/12/09/rising-heat-wave-to-threaten-human-survival-level-says-new-world-bank-report/ย By Rupa Kumari December 9, 2022ย According to the World Bank report, India, recognizing the complex challenges of rising temperatures, was one of the first countries in the world to develop a comprehensive Cooling Action Plan in 2019. The India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) sets out a long-term vision of ensuring sustainable cooling and thermal comfort for all while securing environmental and socio-economic benefits.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2022/11/30/a-greener-cooling-pathway-can-create-a-1-6-trillion-investment-opportunity-in-india-says-world-bank-report The World Bank study, โClimate Investment Opportunities in Indiaโs Cooling Sectorโ, which is also supported by the EU-GFDRR, finds that shifting to a more energy efficient pathway could lead to a substantial reduction in expected CO2 levels over the next two decades. ย ย https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099920011222212474/pdf/P15743300f4cc10380b9f6051f8e7ed1147.pdf Climate Investment Opportunities in Indiaโs Cooling Sector
Key Policy Approaches Needed to Scale Up Action in Space Cooling
- Update affordable housing policies and programs at the national and state levels to include thermal comfort as an essential criterion
- Align the S&L program strategy to achieve ICAP goals โstringent standards and market transformation initiatives
- Enact a national policy for district cooling: Mandate deployment of DCS in high density cooling greenfield developments
- Guidelines for cities to integrate urban passive cooling measures in planning frameworks
Multistakeholder engagement and capacity building will help enable adoption of new business models and sustainable cooling technologies across sectors.