The effects are visible
While heatwaves are common in India, especially in May and June, summer began early this year with high temperatures from March, when the first heatwave arrived.
Average maximum temperatures for the month were the highest in 122 years.*
The Centre for Science and Environment, a think-tank, says that early heatwaves this year have affected around 15 states, including the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, usually known for its pleasant temperatures.
…
The effects are visible. Farmers say the unexpected temperature spikes have affected their wheat harvest, a development that could potentially have global consequences given supply disruptions due to the Ukraine war.
The heat has also triggered an increase in power demand, leading to outages in many states and fears of a coal shortage.
Meanwhile of course burning coal is only going to make everything hotter.
D Sivananda Pai, director of the Institute for Climate Change Studies, points to other challenges apart from climate change – such as increasing population and the resulting strain on resources.
This, in turn, leads to factors that worsen the situation, such as deforestation and increasing use of transport.
“When you have more concrete roads and buildings, heat is trapped inside without being able to rise to the surface. This warms the air further,” Mr Pai says.
And there are no global air conditioners.
*Meaning, probably, in the 122 years we’ve been able to collect global stats. H/t Sackbut
“… highest in 122 years” sounds like temperatures were higher 122 years ago, but I suspect they mean they’ve been recording temperatures for 122 years and these are the highest ever recorded.
Oh good point. I was wondering about those 1900 temps.
Add to that water shortages due to glacial retreat and reduced snowfall in the Himalayas and things become even more dire. We’ve never been in a situation where nuclear-armed states with human populations of over a billion have run out of water.
#1 Sackbut
I don’t think that is the case. If temperatures exceed any on record, news outlets and climate scientists will consistently make that clear by phrasing it as ‘highest temps on record’ or similar. And so I suspect the region had a higher temperature on record, 122 years ago.
Oops, I’m wrong in this case. Despite the usual habits of phrasing, this recent heatwave is indeed the highest on record for Delhi.
India has long been suffering from water depletion, especially down in Chennai, and this can only make it worse. I feel silly for stating the obvious, but at this point I am often left speechless. Scientists are working to develop drought-tolerant crops https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2019.01676/full but I wonder if they are going to also be able to tolerate such heat. It will be the norm,
Holms @4 and 5
Thanks for checking. I agree that sometimes media outlets use the phrase “… on record” rather than “… since [year]”, but they are very sloppy, and I see this kind of phrasing all too frequently. They are trying to convey both “records date back to [year]” and “… worst ever recorded” in a single pithy phrase, and they fail. Just use a few more words, journos.