• India is in the midst of a lengthy period of heatwaves, with overwhelming evidence that a large chunk of it is related to human-caused climate change.

• If carbon emissions continue unabated, half of the world will be under severe drought by the end of the century.

• There has already been a threefold increase in severe precipitation occurrences in India, with rainfall decreasing in North India and increasing in South India.

• Pollution from biomass burning, along with carbon dioxide emissions, resulted in 1.5 million fatalities in India per year. By giving clean cooking fuel to rural households in the Indo-Gangetic plains, India might decrease pollution in half.

• To mitigate climate change, societal transformation, carbon dioxide emission reductions, and adaptation were all required.

What exactly are Heat Waves?

A heat wave is defined by the World Meteorological Organization as five or more consecutive days of sustained heat in which the daily maximum temperature is 5 °C (9 °F) or higher than the average maximum temperature. Some countries, however, have developed their own criteria for defining a heat wave.

• Heatwaves occur when high pressure aloft (3,000–7,600 metres) increases and persists over an area for many days to several weeks.

• This is typical in the summer (both in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres) since the jet stream ''follows the sun.''

• The high-pressure region is located on the equator side of the jet stream, in the upper layers of the atmosphere.

• Weather patterns vary more slowly in the summer than in the winter. As a result, this upper-level high pressure is moving slowly as well.

• When there is high pressure, the air lowers (sinks) toward the surface, warming and drying adiabatically, impeding convection and cloud formation.

• Cloud reduction increases the amount of shortwave radiation reaching the surface.

• A low pressure at the surface causes surface wind from lower latitudes to deliver warm air, therefore amplifying warming.

• Alternatively, surface winds may blow from the hot continental heartland to the coastal zone, causing heat waves.

To declare a heatwave, the following conditions are used:

To declare a heatwave, at least two stations in a Meteorological subdivision must meet the following conditions for at least two consecutive days, and it will be announced on the second day.

1. a) On the basis of deviation from the norm

• Heat Wave: Temperatures range from 4.5°C to 6.4°C above usual.

• Severe Heat Wave: The temperature deviates from normal by more than 6.4°C.

1. b) Using the Actual Maximum Temperature (for plains only)

• Heat Wave: When the real maximum temperature exceeds 45°C.

• Severe Heat Wave: When the real maximum temperature exceeds 47°C.

How long does a heatwave last?

• A heatwave usually lasts for at least four days. It can sometimes last up to seven or 10 days.

• The longest documented hot period in modern years occurred between May 18 and May 31, 2015.

The Effects of Heatwaves

• It may be a natural disaster as well as a risk since heat and sunshine can cause the human body to overheat.

• Severe heatwaves have resulted in catastrophic crop failures, thousands of hyperthermia deaths, and widespread power outages as a result of increased use of air conditioning.

The ability to adjust to increasing temperatures is critical.

Heat waves are frequently evaluated based on how frequent or strong they are, but vulnerability entails more than that.

People''s ability to adapt with measures such as cooling technology and the power to run it is a key factor in the amount of harm caused by heat waves.

While wealthy countries can mitigate their risk by rapidly investing in climate change adaptation measures, the poorest quarter of the world – which is likely to be slower to adapt – will face increasing heat risk.

Climate Change Response in India:

• National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC): describes current and future climate mitigation and adaptation policies and strategies. Solar Energy; Enhanced Energy Efficiency; Sustainable Habitat; Water; Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem; Green India; Sustainable Agriculture; and Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change are identified as eight main "national missions" that will operate through 2017. The majority of these missions have severe adaption requirements.

• National Clean Energy Fund: In 2010, the Government of India established the National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) to finance and promote clean energy initiatives, as well as to fund research in the field of clean energy in the country. The fund''s corpus is built by levying a cess of INR 50 (subsequently increased to INR 100 in 2014) per tonne of domestic or imported coal.

• Paris Agreement: India has made three commitments under the Paris Agreement. By 2030, India''s greenhouse gas emission intensity of GDP will be reduced by 33-35 percent compared to 2005 levels. In addition, non-fossil fuels would account for 40% of India''s power capacity. Simultaneously, India will create an additional ''carbon sink'' of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through increased forest and tree cover by 2030.

• International Solar Alliance (ISA): India and France launched the ISA at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris on November 30, 2015.

• Bharat Stage (BS) Emission Limits: Vehicle emissions are one of the leading causes of air pollution, prompting the government to implement the BS 2000 (Bharat Stage 1) vehicle emission norms in April 2000, followed by BS-II in 2005. In 2010, BS-III was rolled out across the country. However, in 2016, the government opted to follow worldwide best practises and forgo BS V entirely in order to jump to BS-VI standards.

Road ahead

Mitigation and adaptation: India has a climate change strategy in the shape of the National Action Plan on Climate Change, which was established via the merging of comparable objectives at the state level. In addition, India has established the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). Climate change, on the other hand, would need international collaborative action to have the greatest impact. This is because climate protection is a global issue, and any policy implemented in silos would have a limited impact.

Follow the Bottom-up Approach: Resilience will be more successful if it is established from the ground up, by understanding the requirements of the community at the local level, rather than from the top down. A climate risk atlas, for example, is required to understand the susceptibility of a specific place at the district level.

Data democratisation: As information is required to make an impact at the local level, there is a need for more robust and simple data transmission to the general population. It also nudges local communities and fosters a competitive atmosphere for improved climate action.

Extending the horizon of Indian actions: While India has received global acclaim for its efforts to alleviate the effects of climate change, there is still room for further growth. They are now concentrating on energy emissions and energy use. However, the same principles must be applied to industries such as agriculture, which have a significant influence on climate change. Similarly, in order to develop a low-carbon economy, it is critical to protect vulnerable people from catastrophic occurrences and to rationalise the use of fertilisers and subsidies.

Access to Finance: It is critical that the world recognises the need of incentivizing poor nations to use renewable energy. At this stage of development, developing countries must not lose sight of their most essential goal: raising the standard of living for their population. As a result, given their historical responsibilities, Western nations must take the lead in financing the transition of poorer countries from fossil-based electricity to renewable energy.

From a holistic standpoint, there is a need to comprehend the significance of greener growth in the Indian context. A lower-carbon economy would also benefit the country in the long run, as India is a vulnerable country in terms of climate change. Its lengthy coastline and proximity to the Himalayas render it vulnerable to sea-level rise, storms, and floods. As a result, investing in renewable energy would assist to reduce the likelihood of disasters occurring and protect people''s livelihoods.

Approach based on consensus: It is necessary to reintegrate the nations that have strayed from the alliance. For example, the world community must hold the United States accountable for its massive per capita emissions. Similarly, China''s overall emissions must be reduced because it is the world''s greatest emitter of greenhouse gases.