A Kashmiri farmer smokes a traditional hookah on his farmland during a break from paddy cultivation. High temperatures are impacting farms across India. Credit: Umar Manzoor Shah/IPS

By Umar Manzoor Shah
NEW DELHI, Jun 4 2024 (IPS)

As India’s 968.8 million voters were gripped by election fever, the worst-ever heat wave held the country in its clutches. 

The Indian capital, New Delhi, recorded the country’s highest ever temperature of 52.9 degrees Celsius (127.22 °F) on May 28. More than 50 people died within a week due to heat stroke across the country. However, ironically, despite climate change and the havoc it is unleashing upon the country’s inhabitants, there was scant mention of it in the manifestos of the 744 political parties contesting the elections. 

What is a heat wave?

This feature is published with the support of Open Society Foundations.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

Excerpt:

As the heat and dust of the India election draw to a close and the country experiences its hottest temperatures ever recorded, this explainer looks at how the phenomenon of climate change hasn’t made a dent in the political agenda.