India\u2019s cities are growing unbearable each summer, and it is the most vulnerable\u2014the informal workers, the elderly, pregnant women, and infants\u2014who suffer the worst of it, confined to concrete urban pockets where temperatures run several degrees higher than surrounding areas.<\/p>\n
Among them, the informal workforce occupies a particularly vulnerable position, powering nearly half the nation\u2019s economy and accounting for an estimated 45 to 50 per cent of India\u2019s GDP, while remaining the most heat-exposed.<\/p>\n
In an exclusive interview with PTI Videos on World Environment Day, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Inger Andersen noted that the situation is deeply concerning, \u201cparticularly for those who work outdoors doing physical labour, and for the most vulnerable like the elderly, pregnant women, infants, and those living with other illnesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
She further said construction workers, street vendors, agricultural labourers, and others in physically demanding outdoor occupations are particularly at risk, as extreme heat also threatens their livelihoods.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, heat stress kills more people every year than floods, storms, and wildfires combined. If we focus for a moment just on workers, we are talking about approximately 2.4 billion people, roughly 70 per cent of the global workforce, who are likely exposed to dangerous heat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn India, that includes around 82 per cent of the informal workforce,\u201d Andersen told PTI, adding that it is a global challenge that demands a comprehensive response.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew Delhi is one of the hottest major cities on the planet. With humidity factored in, temperatures have been approaching 50 degrees, which is beyond livable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Outlining the dimensions of a comprehensive response that must be taken seriously, the UNEP Chief cited measures such as Heat Action Plans (HAPs), cooling centres, access to adequate water, early warning systems, shaded rest areas, cool roofs in informal settlements, and adjusted work hours during peak heat.<\/p>\n
Among these, passive cooling emerges as one of the most underrated approaches. It includes cool roofs, green roofs, reflective windows and other design choices that are often framed only as climate solutions, but also work as a public health intervention hiding in plain sight.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is encouraging is that we are beginning to see meaningful investments in this space. From UNEP\u2019s side, we are proud to lead what we call the Cool Coalition. India, for instance, is putting one and a half billion dollars from its National Disaster Mitigation Fund into redesigning and reallocating resources for passive cooling,\u201d Andersen told PTI.<\/p>\n
Drawing a comparison between walking through a countryside field and walking through a concrete urban setting, Andersen said cities need to be fundamentally rethought around cooling.<\/p>\n
She cited the example of the Kashmir Gate Interstate Bus Terminal in Delhi, where a cool roof is being installed that will cover nearly 1,50,000 square feet and bring down temperatures for around one lakh commuters daily.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndia\u2019s flagship Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban scheme is also investing in passive cooling for approximately ten million homes by 2029,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Passive cooling encompasses green roofs, reflective roofs, more trees where possible, smart buildings, and smart glazing, which can bring down temperatures and, in turn, reduce the cost of cooling and lower electricity bills.<\/p>\n
The UN official said that passive cooling through thoughtful wall and roof design, glazing, shading, ventilation, and the creation of green and blue spaces is how costs can be brought down more affordably than relying on expensive, energy-intensive air conditioners.<\/p>\n
\u2018Beat the Heat\u2019 or \u2018Mutirao contra o Calor Extremo\u2019 is an international effort launched by the Brazil COP30 Presidency and the UNEP-led \u2018Cool Coalition\u2019 to accelerate the deployment of sustainable cooling and heat resilience solutions in cities worldwide, turning the ambitions of the Global Cooling Pledge into on-the-ground action, according to the UNEP.<\/p>\n
More than 230 cities across over 40 countries and 108 partner organisations have joined the initiative, including 44 Indian cities\u2014of which 30 are from Maharashtra and 11 from Tamil Nadu.<\/p>\n
When asked if the current pace of heat adaptation in India is commensurate with the speed at which heat risk is growing, Andersen said, \u201cIt is a catch-up process, but we are very glad to see 44 cities enrolled (in \u2018Beat the Heat\u2019 initiative) and the government stepping into this space to lead.<\/p>\n
The reality, however, remains stark: across the world, more than one billion people lack adequate cooling, including many in India.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we do not act, that number will rise from one billion to three billion by 2050 as temperatures continue to climb,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
She underscored that urban heat is intense and the poor face the heaviest exposure, as local temperatures in cities can be more than ten degrees higher than in rural areas, where a breeze and natural habitat help with cooling.<\/p>\n
\u201cHas India caught up? No, but then, no one has. What we need to see is consistent, steady investment in the cooling aspect, especially in urban settings, alongside a very proactive effort to address CO2 emissions and greenhouse gases, because ultimately that is how we keep global temperature rise within a livable range,\u201d the UNEP chief told PTI.<\/p>\n
She further mentioned that 74 countries have pledged to reduce global cooling-related emissions by 68 per cent by 2050, and 134 out of 193 countries have integrated cooling into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).<\/p>\n
On parametric insurance as a safety net, Andersen said rolling out such systems is critical for worker protection and reducing heat fatalities, adding that while not all countries can afford it, protecting the workforce ultimately means protecting long-term productivity and human capital.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"India\u2019s cities are growing unbearable each summer, and it is the most vulnerable\u2014the informal workers, the elderly, pregnant…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":477591,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[221577,221578,221579,221580,221581,221582,221583,242,221584,85,221585,46,141,221586],"class_list":["post-477590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-beattheheat","tag-heatactionplans","tag-heatresilience","tag-passivecooling","tag-unepindia","tag-urbanheat","tag-climatechangeindia","tag-environment","tag-extremeheat","tag-il","tag-informalworkers","tag-israel","tag-science","tag-sustainablecooling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=477590"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477590\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=477590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=477590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=477590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}