How India’s economy is feeling the heat from climate change
In India’s financial capital Mumbai, construction workers sluggishly toil on a residential building in the sweltering heat. Nearby, hawkers at a popular street market take refuge in shady areas, guzzling water as they try to have some respite from the scorching sun. On the outskirts of the city, factory owners complain of rare power cuts, bringing work to a halt. Scientists blame climate change for the heatwave, with several parts of India experiencing record high temperatures in recent weeks. But it is not only its people who are suffering; the South Asian country's economy will also have to bear the brunt of extreme weather. “Currents of this year’s heatwave in India are being felt across sectors — power, harvests, exports [and] water,” says Manish Dabkara, chairman and chief executive of Indian climate change and sustainability advisory EKI Energy Services. "In addition to people's lives," this weather is “a threat” to the Indian economy. The number of working hour...