Though heatwaves in India are not a new phenomenon, their frequency and duration have escalated in the past decade. They are not just causing a human crisis, but also an energy and economic crisis
In Bokaro Steel City, set on the Chota Nagpur Plateau in a coal-rich district of Jharkhand, 55-year-old Jethu Mahto’s work day begins at six in the morning and finishes at two in the afternoon. Mahto has been working in the Bermo Coal Mines for 35 years and continues, even under a punishing sun, amidst a devastating heatwave in one of the hottest areas of India.
The first part of the sixth IPCC report ‘Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis’ released in August 2021 says that in the Indian subcontinent, “Heat extremes have increased while cold extremes have decreased, and these trends will continue over the coming decades.”
On April 25, ignoring the Chipko movement-inspired protests of women who hugged trees and even nationwide protests, trees were cut down overnight. A second phase of mining at Hasdeo might be even worse. According to news reports, 1136.328 ha of land might be diverted and 2,42,670 trees might be cut.
Kuldeep Jain, founder and MD of CleanMax, a renewable energy company in India says, “We are already helping corporations take a leave of fossil-fueled electricity and reduce their carbon footprint which is essential to reducing emissions and curbing such drastic climate changes such as heatwaves. CleanMax is already looking at intensifying its project execution so that we can help an increasing number of firms go green and have a real impact.”