Is Climate Change Messing With India's Elections? New Report Sheds Some Light
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Is Climate Change Messing With India's Elections? New Report Sheds Some Light

The Quint  

The report highlighted that the last decade has seen some of the warmest years on the planet. In 2014, the global average temperatures were closing in on 1°C, while in 2019, the temperature had already reached 1.2°C. In 2023, the global temperatures were at 1.4°C, at a 144-year-high record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. For the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the report stated that the Election Commission of India, in tandem with the IMD, the National Disaster Management Authority, and the Union Health Ministry, formed a task force to “deal with impacts of intense heatwave on voters.” Ashok Lavasa, Former Election Commissioner of India, was quoted in the report as saying, "Weather conditions are always taken into account to avert major disruption. There are mitigation measures which are taken well beforehand like arrangements for making people stand in queue in cool places, availability of drinking water, etc. "

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History of this topic

Climate experts worry about Donald Trump’s re-election impact
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Climate experts worry about Donald Trump’s re-election impact

The Hindu  

With the 29th edition of the annual climate conference set to begin in Baku, Azerbaijan next week and Donald Trump likely to be re-elected as President of the United States, climate experts worry about what this will mean for global efforts at addressing climate change. In 2017, Mr. Trump announced the U.S.’s exit from the Paris Climate Agreement, which commits …

India experiences the second hottest period since 1970 due to climate change
3 months ago

India experiences the second hottest period since 1970 due to climate change

The Hindu  

The months of June, July, and August 2024 recorded India’s second-hottest season since 1970, a report titled, People Exposed to Climate Change: June-August 2024 released on Wednesday by climate experts at Climate Central said. “Over 20.5 million people experienced high temperatures exceptionally influenced by climate change for at least 60 days in the past three months, making India the Southern …

Climate turbulence ahead: Time to fasten our seatbelts
6 months, 1 week ago

Climate turbulence ahead: Time to fasten our seatbelts

Live Mint  

For most well-off urban residents, the effects of climate change have mostly been viewed from afar as a problem confronted by villagers. Among its disturbing findings was that “cities are not cooling down at night at the rate they used to" 20 years ago, and that “all cities have registered significant increase in their built heat island effect," a reference …

Climate crisis made May heatwaves 1.5C hotter in India, study says
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Climate crisis made May heatwaves 1.5C hotter in India, study says

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The unprecedented heatwaves that scorched northern and central India in May were made 1.5 degrees …

India’s deadly heat kills over 200 people, including dozens of poll workers as elections wrap up
6 months, 3 weeks ago

India’s deadly heat kills over 200 people, including dozens of poll workers as elections wrap up

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Over 200 people, including dozens of workers on election duty, have died in the last …

A scorching heat wave kills 14 in India ahead of a final round of election voting on Saturday
6 months, 3 weeks ago

A scorching heat wave kills 14 in India ahead of a final round of election voting on Saturday

Associated Press  

PATNA, India — A blistering heat wave has killed at least 14 people, including 10 election officials, in eastern India with temperatures soaring up to 49.9 degrees Celsius in parts of the country this week, officials said Friday. The heat wave came as hundreds of millions of Indians have been voting in a 6-week long general election, increasing health risks …

India may have recorded its hottest temperatures ever as Delhi faces extreme heatwave
6 months, 3 weeks ago

India may have recorded its hottest temperatures ever as Delhi faces extreme heatwave

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Heatwaves are clearly the single largest threat to India’s well being today.” Aarti Khosla, director of Climate Trends These …

Scorching heat wave kills 14 in India ahead of a final round of election voting Saturday
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Scorching heat wave kills 14 in India ahead of a final round of election voting Saturday

LA Times  

A girl covers her head to shield herself from the sun as she walks to collect water from a municipal pipe outside Jammu, India, on Friday. A blistering heat wave has killed at least 14 people, including 10 election officials, in eastern India with temperatures soaring up to 122 degrees in parts of the country this week, officials said Friday. …

Getting ready for heatwaves
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Getting ready for heatwaves

Hindustan Times  

A crushing heatwave that began more than a week ago has become unbearable since Monday. In Delhi, power consumption surpassed records and desperate families mobbed water tankers after their taps ran dry. A 40-year-old labourer who lived in a room with no air cooling died at a hospital during the week and the administration imposed fines on wasteful use of …

Need to hasten climate action as temps break records
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Need to hasten climate action as temps break records

New Indian Express  

The unprecedented rise in temperatures across north India—especially in Delhi, which recorded a historical high of 52.9°C on Wednesday—has given a glimpse into the dire future caused by human-induced climate change. The increased emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide produced by human activities are creating the effect of trapping heat and raising temperatures on …

Millions vote amid heatwave alert in Phase 6 of India’s staggered election
6 months, 4 weeks ago

Millions vote amid heatwave alert in Phase 6 of India’s staggered election

Al Jazeera  

Many people lined polling stations before the start of voting at 7am to avoid the blazing sun at the peak of summer. India’s weather bureau this week issued a heatwave “red alert” for the city and surrounding states where tens of millions of people cast their ballots. In West Bengal state, workers belonging to the All India Trinamool Congress party, …

Delhi voters must brace for heatwave on polling day, say weather officials
7 months ago

Delhi voters must brace for heatwave on polling day, say weather officials

Hindustan Times  

New Delhi People buy water coolers to keep themselves cool amid rising temperatures. Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are expected to prevail over Delhi on May 25, when the Capital goes to polls in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, weather officials said. Amid severe heatwave, Delhi records peak power demand in history “Our warnings show that temperatures …

Climate change impacts millions in India. But as the country votes, some politicians skirt the issue
7 months ago

Climate change impacts millions in India. But as the country votes, some politicians skirt the issue

Associated Press  

BEED, India — Almost 970 million Indians are voting in general elections amid sweltering heat and unpredictable weather extremes exacerbated by human-caused climate change, leading to loss of livelihood, forced migration and increasingly difficult living conditions for millions across the country. Issues related to religion, caste and employment still determine most Indians’ political preferences, but Koll said that at local …

Climate change to intensify heatwave in India: Scientists
7 months, 1 week ago

Climate change to intensify heatwave in India: Scientists

Hindustan Times  

The intense heat likely to hit India over the next few days will be exacerbated by climate change, according to a research group. A man takes shelter under an umbrella from the scorching sun on a hot summer afternoon in New Delhi The northwestern region of the country, including the capital Delhi, is expected to record temperatures that could exceed …

No heat wave forecast on fourth phase polling day: Election Commission
7 months, 1 week ago

No heat wave forecast on fourth phase polling day: Election Commission

The Hindu  

The Election Commission of India on Sunday said the weather forecast indicated that there would be no heat wave-like conditions in the 96 Lok Sabha constituencies across 10 States and Union Territories which are going to the polls in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha election on Monday. Live voter turnout updates Noting that all arrangements are in place …

Severe heatwave may spare first phase voting in Odisha, says IMD
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Severe heatwave may spare first phase voting in Odisha, says IMD

New Indian Express  

BHUBANESWAR: Voters in the state may be spared the heat torture as the blistering conditions are expected to abate during the next couple of weeks. The India Meteorological Department which issued the extended range outlook for two weeks - May 3-9 and May 10-16 said isolated thunderstorm activity is expected in the state between May 10 and 16. “Odisha is …

Trying to predict what the Indian voter will choose: A weathervane job?
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Trying to predict what the Indian voter will choose: A weathervane job?

Live Mint  

The recent Lokniti pre-poll voter survey was played up in press reports for the wrong reasons. Voters’ party preferences got headlines, but pre-poll findings on party shares are always suspect because voters may not have finally chosen, or might not reveal their true choice even if they have. Small enterprises have been the traditional route through which labour-force entrants have …

Heatwave sweeps India as Lok Sabha polls enter crucial stage: A look at temperature projections for next phase
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Heatwave sweeps India as Lok Sabha polls enter crucial stage: A look at temperature projections for next phase

India TV News  

A scorching heatwave, spanning from east to south peninsular India, gripped the nation as Lok Sabha elections progress towards pivotal stages, warns the India Meteorological Department. The IMD issued warnings for Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, and parts of Jharkhand, anticipating “heatwave or severe heatwave conditions.” Additionally, pockets in Rayalaseema, interior Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana are bracing for intense …

Lok Sabha election 2024: Will Delhi turnout be hit by heat, long weekend?
7 months, 4 weeks ago

Lok Sabha election 2024: Will Delhi turnout be hit by heat, long weekend?

Hindustan Times  

Voter turnout in the national capital, which is scheduled to go to polls on May 25, may take a hit as the day falls in the middle of what people may treat as a long weekend — keeping election officials and workers on their toes. Since the following day is a Sunday and May 23 is a gazetted holiday due …

'Need for national heat adaptation policies during elections': Former MoES secretary
7 months, 4 weeks ago

'Need for national heat adaptation policies during elections': Former MoES secretary

Hindustan Times  

The recent incident of Union minister Nitin Gadkari fainting at an election rally at Pusad in Yavatmal, Maharashtra, has yet again highlighted the severity of heat waves taking a physical toll on politicians and voters alike. Could you highlight whether the traditional timing of elections in India aligns with advisable climate conditions, especially given the recent trends in rising temperatures? …

Lok Sabha Election 2024: Bengaluru votes amid heat wave-like conditions
7 months, 4 weeks ago

Lok Sabha Election 2024: Bengaluru votes amid heat wave-like conditions

Hindustan Times  

Lok Sabha Election 2024: Bengaluru votes amid heat wave-like conditions As per IMD data, Bengaluru’s maximum temperature on the voting day will range between 36.4 and 38.4 degree Celsius.. As per IMD data, Bengaluru’s maximum temperature on the voting day will range between 36.4 and 38.4 degree Celsius. 1 / 8 Voters across four constituencies in Bengaluru came out to …

Lok Sabha elections Phase 2 | Heatwave conditions to prevail in UP, Bengal, Bihar: EC
7 months, 4 weeks ago

Lok Sabha elections Phase 2 | Heatwave conditions to prevail in UP, Bengal, Bihar: EC

Hindustan Times  

The second phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with 88 parliamentary constituencies across 13 states and one Union Territory set to vote, began on Friday. For convenience for voters, meticulous arrangements have been made at all polling stations including facilities, to deal with hot weather conditions.” Read Here | Bengaluru witnesses second hottest April day in history: Report The …

Climate change a top priority for India's Gen Z voters. Are parties listening?
7 months, 4 weeks ago

Climate change a top priority for India's Gen Z voters. Are parties listening?

India Today  

The ongoing general election in India has a distinct dimension to it: hotter weather. India Today has analysed the election manifestos of two major national parties – the Bhartiya Janata Party and Congress – to assess their policies concerning climate change. The word “climate” in the context of environmental degradation features 10 times in the Congress manifesto while it appears …

Severe heat wave predicted in many States during second phase of polling
7 months, 4 weeks ago

Severe heat wave predicted in many States during second phase of polling

The Hindu  

Lakhs of voters will have to bear the searing heat when they step out to exercise their franchise in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 26. The India Meteorological Department on April 25 warned of heatwave to severe heatwave conditions in parts of West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh during …

Bihar: ECI extends voting timings for 4 Lok Sabha seats due to rising temperature
7 months, 4 weeks ago

Bihar: ECI extends voting timings for 4 Lok Sabha seats due to rising temperature

Hindustan Times  

The Election Commission of India has extended the voting timing in 1,700 polling stations across four parliamentary seats of Bihar’s Banka, Madhepura, Khagaria and Munger, by two hours from 7am to 6pm over the next three phases of parliamentary polls amid rising temperatures in Bihar, poll officials said on Wednesday. Polling is usually held from 7am to 6pm in most …

Hotter than expected....: PM Modi reviews preparedness for heat wave during 2024 Lok Sabha polls
8 months, 1 week ago

Hotter than expected....: PM Modi reviews preparedness for heat wave during 2024 Lok Sabha polls

Live Mint  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a meeting to review the preparedness for the ensuing heat wave season as the forecast suggests above normal maximum temperatures over most parts of the country from April to June. The Principal Secretary to PM, Home Secretary, officials from Indian Meteorological Department, and the National Disaster Management Authority were participating in the review …

Weatherman signals a nasty summer ahead for India
8 months, 1 week ago

Weatherman signals a nasty summer ahead for India

Live Mint  

NEW DELHI : Climate change will accelerate the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, India’s top weatherman warned, on the backdrop of the country witnessing a far higher number of intensely heavy rainfall and heatwave days, fewer colder days and increasing thunderstorms in recent times. “We are noticing extreme behaviour in weather," India Meteorological Department director-general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said …

Morning rallies to mandatory ORS packets, how heatwave is impacting poll season
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Morning rallies to mandatory ORS packets, how heatwave is impacting poll season

Hindustan Times  

Rallies early in the morning or once the sun sets; arrangements for cold drinks and lassi for campaigners; a slew of instructions for polling parties that includes mandatory ORS packets and an appeal for voters to carry wet towels on their person — the Election Commission of India, political parties, candidates and voters have been preparing for a gruelling election …

Self-regulate campaigning to tackle heat in Odisha: CEO Nikunja Bihari Dhal
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Self-regulate campaigning to tackle heat in Odisha: CEO Nikunja Bihari Dhal

New Indian Express  

BHUBANESWAR: With the national weather forecaster predicting one of the harshest summers in the state this year, Chief Electoral Officer Nikunja Bihari Dhal on Tuesday sought self-regulation of campaigns by all political parties to effectively tackle the climatic challenges at the hustings. While assuring that the election commission is ready with contingency measures to deal with any prevailing situation, Dhal …

Warming warning: The Hindu Editorial on the World Meteorological Organization projections for temperature trends
1 year, 7 months ago

Warming warning: The Hindu Editorial on the World Meteorological Organization projections for temperature trends

The Hindu  

The World Meteorological Organization has issued its annual update on its projections for temperature trends in the next decade. The annual mean global near-surface temperature for each year between 2023 and 2027 is likely to be 1.1°-1.8°C higher than the average from 1850-1900. There is a 66% chance that the global near-surface temperature will exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, in …

Heatwaves are preventing India from achieving development goals: Study
1 year, 8 months ago

Heatwaves are preventing India from achieving development goals: Study

Live Mint  

Heatwaves in India are not only affecting the health of the people but also impacting the economic and developmental goals of the country. A new study has revealed the impact of scorching heat on India's agriculture, economy, and public health. The study informs that India is currently “facing a collision of multiple, cumulative climate hazards” resulting in extreme weather events …

DC Edit | Summer may see extreme heat
1 year, 8 months ago

DC Edit | Summer may see extreme heat

Deccan Chronicle  

It’s summer and along with the season heatwaves are inevitable, particularly in El Nino years. It is also a freakish timing of the poll cycles that sees most general elections being held in the peak of summer, as they would probably be in 2024 as well, thus increasing the risk of exposure of people to the hazards of increasing wet …

90% of India vulnerable to heatwave impact, says study
1 year, 8 months ago

90% of India vulnerable to heatwave impact, says study

The Hindu  

Nearly 90% of India is in a “danger zone” from heatwave impact and almost all of Delhi is at the risk of severe heatwave impacts, which is not reflected in its recent state action plan for climate change, says a study published on April 19 in the peer-reviewed PLOS Climate. The study, by Ramit Debnath at the University of Cambridge, …

India’s heat is underestimated, harming progress, study says
1 year, 8 months ago

India’s heat is underestimated, harming progress, study says

Associated Press  

BENGALURU, India — The full extent of the damage from India’s sizzling heat that’s causing more deaths, illnesses, school shutdowns and crop failures is underestimated by lawmakers and officials in the country and slowing the nation’s development, a study Wednesday said. Extreme heat is placing 80% of India’s 1.4 billion population in danger but assessments of how vulnerable the country …

Tragic unpreparedness: on the Maharashtra heatwave incident
1 year, 8 months ago

Tragic unpreparedness: on the Maharashtra heatwave incident

The Hindu  

The state of the ongoing global climate crisis is such that India is going to have hotter hot days and more of them every year. On April 16, nearly a million people gathered on an uncovered ground in Navi Mumbai for an event in which social activist Dattatreya Narayan received a State award, with Union Ministers Amit Shah and Kapil …

India must urgently build heat resilience
1 year, 9 months ago

India must urgently build heat resilience

Hindustan Times  

Delhi’s spring was once short but glorious. Two coastal districts of Karnataka also recorded the season’s first heatwave in an area where cool sea breezes moderate temperatures even in peak summer — indicating that rising temperatures were not just a localised phenomenon. The State must also prepare citizens for heatwaves and work on a tabulating mechanism for heat-related deaths, while …

Rising temperatures hold a dire warning
2 years, 1 month ago

Rising temperatures hold a dire warning

Hindustan Times  

Days before the crucial United Nations-led climate meet COP27 begins in Egypt, a stark warning has been issued on the debilitating impact of rising temperatures on human health. According to the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change: Health at the Mercy of Fossil Fuels, released on Tuesday, India reported 20,000 heat-related deaths in adults above 65 annually between 2000 …

Record-breaking heat increased vulnerability of half of Delhi's population: WMO report
2 years, 3 months ago

Record-breaking heat increased vulnerability of half of Delhi's population: WMO report

The Hindu  

Between March and May, Delhi experienced five heatwaves with record-breaking temperatures reaching up to 49.2 degrees Celsius which increased the vulnerability of half of the city's population which lives in low-income, informal settlements, a report by the World Meteorological Department said. The report titled 'United in Science' released on Tuesday also cited a recent attribution study which concluded that climate …

New Study Warns of Dangerously High Heat Levels in India as Global Emissions Rise in Coming Decades
2 years, 3 months ago

New Study Warns of Dangerously High Heat Levels in India as Global Emissions Rise in Coming Decades

News 18  

Many people living in tropical regions like India are likely to be exposed to “dangerously high” heat levels during most days of each typical year in the coming decades, warn scientists in their latest study on impact of climate change. “In the tropics and subtropics, where the dangerous Heat Index threshold was typically exceeded on less than 15% of the …

India’s climate imperative
2 years, 5 months ago

India’s climate imperative

The Hindu  

In the absence of COVID-19, climate change-induced disasters would have been India’s biggest red alert in recent years. The heatwave that scorched Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and New Delhi this year; torrential downpours in south India in 2021; and the super cyclone Amphan that battered West Bengal and Odisha in 2020 are symbols of man-made climate change. Labour losses from …

How India’s heatwave is only set to get worse
2 years, 7 months ago

How India’s heatwave is only set to get worse

The Independent  

Naresh Ahirwar doesn’t stop working when the midday sun beats down on his construction site on the outskirts of Delhi, amid the sustained heatwave conditions that have afflicted northern India for well over a month. “Our heat action plans must ensure adaptation measures like public cooling areas, ensuring uninterrupted electricity, access to safe drinking water, and changing the work hours …

Indian PM Modi urges states to prepare heat action plans as country swelters
2 years, 7 months ago

Indian PM Modi urges states to prepare heat action plans as country swelters

The Independent  

Narendra Modi has urged states to work on an action plan to combat the worsening heatwave situation in India, with temperatures in the past two months having broken all records. According to Indian media reports, he advised states and union territories to prepare heat action plans at state, city and district levels. This year, however, India has been reeling under …

Climate change experts say India's heatwave offers the world a terrifying glimpse into the future
2 years, 7 months ago

Climate change experts say India's heatwave offers the world a terrifying glimpse into the future

ABC  

Every year, more than a billion people sweat their way through India and Pakistan's dreaded heatwaves, which usually begin in late May. "There is overwhelming evidence in the scientific community that climate change is playing a role in causing temperature extremes to be more frequent, more intense and more elongated," Professor Mondal said. Power grid overloaded amid sweltering heat The …

Scorching weather forces India to face climate change head on
2 years, 7 months ago

Scorching weather forces India to face climate change head on

Al Jazeera  

Tens of millions of Indians are struggling to cope with a relentless heatwave, with temperatures reaching record highs. The duration, intensity, and frequency will also rise in the future,” Akhilesh Gupta, head of the Climate Change Program at India’s Department of Science & Technology, told Al Jazeera. “Especially the state and city authorities must strengthen the public health system, coordinated …

Why we need to talk about climate change everyday
2 years, 7 months ago

Why we need to talk about climate change everyday

Live Mint  

There isn’t much climate change denial in India, for which we must give thanks. This is a heatwave that’s certainly been exacerbated by rising global temperatures—the world is, after all, 1.2 degree Celsius hotter and India is nearly 1 degree Celsius hotter than in pre-industrial times. And particularly in the coastal areas and in the Indo-Gangetic plains, the humidity also …

How much is climate change to blame for heatwaves in South Asia?
2 years, 7 months ago

How much is climate change to blame for heatwaves in South Asia?

Al Jazeera  

Hundreds of millions in India and Pakistan struggle to stay cool in record-breaking temperatures. Scientists have long warned that climate change will lead to more intense weather, such as heatwaves, floods and cyclones. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says India must drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions to avoid devastating weather events. Presenter: Dareen Abughaida Guests: Aruna Chandrasekhar – …

Offsetting the heat challenge
2 years, 7 months ago

Offsetting the heat challenge

Hindustan Times  

In yet another reminder of the expanding and deepening footprint of the climate crisis, India is facing a nationwide surge in heatwaves. In 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that India would be facing increasing heatwaves and droughts due to the climate crisis. Another report released in October, said that heatwaves in India are likely to “last 25 …

Tackling extreme heat risks in India
2 years, 8 months ago

Tackling extreme heat risks in India

Hindustan Times  

Delhi recorded its fifth consecutive day of heat wave on Monday. Extreme heat exposures, already a public health emergency in India that killed an estimated 46,600 people aged 65 or older in 2019, continue to worsen. A robust public health policy response to extreme heat events must include early warning systems, effective outreach strategies to improve community awareness, and tailored …

The climate crisis worsens
2 years, 9 months ago

The climate crisis worsens

Hindustan Times  

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ’s report, Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, released on Monday, is an unvarnished account of the expanding footprint of the climate crisis on the world. Mass mortality events on land and ocean; first climate-driven extinctions; loss of hundreds of local species; death and disease due to extreme heat are some of the …

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