CLIMATE CHANGE KILLS 2,000 IN INDIA

Climate change blamed as thousands die in Indian heat

Victor Mallet, May 29, 2015 (Financial Times)

“For the wealthy of India, the annual heatwave before the monsoon is inconvenient…For the poor, however, daytime temperatures approaching 50C in the shade can be fatal…Indian officials have reported about 2,000 heat-related deaths in recent days, many of them in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with victims succumbing to heatstroke and dehydration and hospitals struggling to cope with a surge of emergency admissions…Surfaces of some roads in Delhi have melted in the sun…Heat stress, defined by using a combined measure of temperature and humidity, is expected to rise sharply by mid-century…In India’s vast cities, the crisis is worsened by the “heat island” effect, in which concrete buildings and paved roads absorb and retain more heat than trees or other plants…The Centre for Science and Environment said that human-induced global warming had made 2014 the hottest year on record, and urged India’s governments to adapt to climate change…” click here for more

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