The Conference of Parties (COP) 29 has brought to the forefront the pressing need for action over negotiations. In India, we are dealing with some hard realities of global warming: Atmospheric heat is on the rise while our ambitious economic growth will increase cooling demand. Meeting cooling demand using traditional individual air conditioning units leads to greater energy consumption, greater emissions, and greater heat.
Increasing emissions and related pollution is already impacting the health of citizens in Indian metros and forcing them to stay indoors. The government’s approach of coaxing industry to follow greening guidelines will fall short in the long-run. Industry is equally to blame -- focusing on short term profitability at the cost of long term irreparable ecological loss.
Consumers are also at fault -- lacking awareness of the cost of their personal choices, when alternatives exist. We must, therefore, bring cooling to the forefront in conversations on finding new ways to meet our climate targets, at Baku and beyond. Global temperature in 2023 were the highest recorded since 1850.
In 2024 India experienced the longest duration of heatwaves lasting around 24 days in various parts of the country. Heatwaves that are getting longer, hotter, and more humid, impact basic human survival by creating wet bulb temperatures that can cause hyperthermia. Heat also impacts Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and productivity; estimates suggest India could suffer a 24.
7% GDP loss .