Climate Investment Opportunities in India’s Cooling Sector report: World Bank

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

According to the World Bank from 2030 onwards, more than 160 to 200 million people could be exposed to a lethal heat wave in India every year, and around 34 million Indians will face job losses due to heat stress-related productivity decline. By 2037, the demand for cooling is likely to be eight times more than current levels.

Key findings

• In this scenario, it is imperative for India to deploy alternative and innovative energy efficient technologies for keeping spaces cool.
• According to the report, “Climate Investment Opportunities in India’s Cooling Sector”, this could open an investment opportunity of $1.6 trillion by 2040 besides reducing greenhouse gas emissions significantly and creating 3.7 million jobs.
• With the demand for cooling shooting up, there will be a demand for a new air-conditioner every 15 seconds, the report said, leading to an expected rise of 435% in annual greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades.
• There is a need to shift to a more energy-efficient pathway which could lead to a substantial reduction in expected CO2 levels.
• The report proposes a roadmap to support New Delhi’s India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) 2019, through new investments in three major sectors: building construction, cold chains and refrigerants.

Heat Waves

• According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), a Heat wave occurs if the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40°C or more for Plains and at least 30°C or more for Hilly regions. There are other criteria as well:

Based on Departure from Normal Temperature

• Heat Wave: Departure from normal is 4.5°C to 6.4°C 
• Severe Heat Wave: Departure from normal is >6.4°C 

Based on Actual Maximum Temperature 

• Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature ≥ 45°C 
• Severe Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature ≥47°C 

Heat Wave is declared if above criteria are met in at least 2 stations in a Meteorological subdivision for at least two consecutive days.

Reasons behind the increasing frequency of Heat Waves

• Greenhouse Gas Emissions: The primary driver is rising greenhouse gas emissions and the consequent change in the entire climate system.
• Erratic Nature of Monsoon: Many experts have deduced that rising instances of unusually long dry phases during Monsoons mean that soil moisture drops to a remarkably low level. This reinforces the heat waves.
• Urbanization: The urban centres are full of concrete structures that enhance the occurrence of heat waves and create an urban heat island effect. 
• Demand for Air Conditioning: With a rise in temperature and an enhancement of per capita income of masses, a rise in installation and usage of air conditioners is witnessed in residential and commercial spaces.

Suggestive measures proposed in the report:

• The report proposes a road map to support New Delhi’s India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP), 2019, through new investments in three major sectors: building construction, cold chains and refrigerants.
• Adopting climate-responsive cooling techniques as a norm in both private and government-funded constructions can ensure that those at the bottom of the economic ladder are not disproportionately affected by rising temperatures.
• The report suggests that India’s affordable housing programme for the poor, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), can adopt such changes on scale.
• It proposed enacting a policy for “district cooling”, which could lead to the consumption of 20-30% less power than the most efficient conventional cooling solutions.
• Apart from this, guidelines for implementation of local and city-wide urban cooling measures such as cool-roofs should also be considered.

Question: Define heat wave. What are the reasons behind the rising number of heat waves in recent years? Suggest measures to tackle it.