Reporter on heat wave in India – “Asphalt Melting”

The more people living in an area and consuming energy, the worse heat waves can get According to a recent report, from the University of Gothenburg.

Malin Mendel, SVT India correspondent, sees a clear relationship between population and heat waves in India.

– There are a lot of people in this area. If a billion Indians got an air conditioner, they’d want to do it when it was hot. Then it becomes the largest consumer of energy and the vicious cycle continues if the energy comes from coal. Then climate change accelerated.

Heat has serious consequences: “the asphalt melts”

Mendel said the consequences of the extreme heat in India are serious.

– This is the highest temperature I’ve measured since I started measuring 122 years ago. She says the asphalt is melting and the birds end up falling from the sky.

The heat was also followed by other extreme weather events such as hurricanes and floods.

What is there to do next? According to one of the report’s authors, Diliang Chen, people, especially politicians, should view the report as a warning bell.

One of the best scenarios is if we get the Paris Agreement and use a lot of renewable energy, reduce energy consumption and have a good vision for population development. Diliang Chen says it is not only about India, but the whole world needs help.