Indian Cities are Baking Here's How to Dial Down the Heat

Article by Dr Balakrishna Pisupati makes us acquainted with the urgency of developing cooling solutions to stand against the global heat. This requirement will become more pronounced in urban areas as population of this segment is highly likely to increase by a significant margin in the near future. The author has emphasized, to get this done, enhancing capacity among urban planners, developers, and disaster management authorities is essential.

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The world is heating up, and India is feeling the burn. According to the World Meteorological Organization, 2024 was the hottest recorded year, with global surface temperatures averaging 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels. The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that are causing this global heat crisis have still not reached their maximum. These extreme temperatures affected billions of people worldwide. In India, the authorities reported over 40,000 heatstroke cases across 17 states.

Some 360 million Indians are expected to face extreme heat-related stress by 2050. So, countries need to start insulating their citizens and economies against extreme heat. India, with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)-led Cool Coalition, is starting to do just that.

Under the Heat Action Plan 2022, the Indian Meteorological Department and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) directed 23 states to implement the plan and provided guidelines to enhance extreme heat resilience. Many sub-national governments have their own heat action plans.

Meanwhile, under the India Cooling Action Plan, India aims to reduce cooling demand by up to 25 per cent, refrigerant demand by 25-30 per cent and cooling energy requirements by up to 40 per cent by 2038. The plan also prioritizes other solutions, such as passive cooling, building design, fans and coolers, new technologies, and behavioural change.

These steps, many of which were recommended as global measures in UNEP’s Global Cooling Watch report in 2024, are important not just to protect people and livelihoods, they are important to avoid a vicious cycle of increasing cooling demand burning through more power and further driving climate change. Such measures need to be formalized and included in climate pledges under the Paris Agreement, known as Nationally Determined Contributions, which are due to be updated by February 2025 latest.

Combatting Urban Heat