“Heatwaves have increased in numbers, frequency, and duration in recent years and this does not bode well for a largely agrarian economy,” said Poornima Prabhakaran, head of environmental health at the Public Health Foundation of India. “The direct and indirect impacts of heatwaves on our crop yield, crop maturation, and nutrition security and diversity can be manifold.”
Prabhakaran said that in a year that laid bare huge gaps in the public healthcare infrastructure and preparedness to deal with the global pandemic, it is important to be reminded of the other threat multiplier — climate change.
“Ensuring the alignment of climate adaptation and pandemic recovery plans, where efficient decoupling of economic development and climate mitigation are addressed, will set India on a path to green and health recovery in the post-pandemic world.”