Not Just A Hotter April - Why Heatwave 2022 Is Different -Chetan Bhattacharji

-NDTV blog

A huge part of India - northwest and central - has just experienced its hottest April on record. This is not just another heatwave. This is what scientists have been warning for decades, that global warming will lead to more frequent and more intense extreme weather events. And frequent spells of heatwaves.

This time though something seems to have changed. A climate emergency has led to immediate repercussions outside the region it occurred, the impact is nationwide. Usually when there's an extreme weather event, say, flooding, rainfall, or a cyclone, it's somewhat limited geographically and in its impact on humans and the economy. But now even places like Tamil Nadu which aren't suffering heatwaves have been hit by a coal and power shortage.

The crisis is threatening the very engine of the economy. Many thermal power plants which provide a bulk of India's electricity are running low on coal stocks; Punjab's power minister says demand has risen 40 per cent, and his Bihar counterpart admitted an electricity shortfall of 1,000 MW. The net result is power cuts, in state after state. Things are so bad that passenger trains were cancelled to rush more coal. Six months ago, a few power plants were shut down around Delhi because of extremely hazardous air pollution in the capital. Human-made environmental disasters in India are making it difficult to keep the lights on. The costs on health and wallets will only go up unless there's a speedy and proper policy response.

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