Heatwaves deaths, once again – Issue #59
This week's issue covers the impact of heatwaves in Uttar Pradesh and India's increasing temperatures, India's inclusion in a mineral security partnership, and a Paris Finance Summit.
News of the week
Gosh! What an eventful week.
Looking back, there were at least five consequential events on the energy/climate front.
First, on 23 June, the Wagner Group, a private paramilitary company fighting alongside the Russian army in Ukraine, rebelled against Vladimir Putin. Belarus’ Alexander Lukashenko swiftly brokered a truce but Putin now appears weaker than before.
Second, on the same day came news that Adani is under the scanner in the US. Both the US Attorney’s Office in New York and the Securities and Exchange Commission are looking into the group’s representations to American investors after Hindenburg's report.
Third. Epsilon Energy, which manufactures graphite for batteries in India, is setting up an EV battery components facility in the US. So is Vikram Solar. It announced plans last week to set up a solar module plant – to be followed in 2025 by a second facility that will make cells, wafers and ingots – in the USA.
Both announcements show that the US’ Inflation Reduction Act is successfully attracting foreign manufacturers to the country. It makes one wonder.
India wanted to export renewable energy equipment to the world; the decisions by Vikram Solar and Epsilon raise questions about that ambition. As countries erect trade barriers and roll out incentives for investment, how competitive will India’s export-oriented domestic manufacturing in the clean energy space be?
Fourth. After Narendra Modi’s trip to the US, India has been inducted into the US’ Mineral Security Partnership (MSP), the US-led collaboration of 14 countries that seeks to develop its own (China-less) supply chain for critical minerals. This is big. When MSP was first announced, India was not in the group, forcing it to independently approach countries like Australia, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. It will now be a part of a larger coalition – albeit another anti-China one.
Fifth. The Paris Finance Summit was held. Read this detailed report from Down To Earth.
The previous instalment of this newsletter had commented about heatwave deaths in Uttar Pradesh – and noted extensive power cuts in the state through June. While the state administration has denied the role of heat in the excess deaths reported, the episode has resulted in fresher reportage, and some of the details are worth noting.
Indian Express reported, “Families of some patients at the hospital said the harsh summer combined with erratic power supply had made matters worse.” That is people like Shanti Devi. Seventy years old, she had a history of heart disease and was being treated at IMS Varanasi. Her son told Indian Express there was no power supply at their home the whole day, and his mother complained of uneasiness in the afternoon. She was rushed to the hospital after blood started oozing from her mouth and nose on Tuesday afternoon.
The precise death count is hard to estimate. But some of the numbers are striking. No less than 133 people are said to have died in the emergency room of Decoria’s Deoraha Baba Medical College between June 11 and June 18, said The Wire. Another 133 were brought dead to the hospital. Most of them had breathing problems, fever and vomiting. That is just one hospital in a state where the mercury has been high all over – and power cuts endemic.
As meteorologist, Roxy Koll Mathew told The Wire, little here was unexpected. “(Biparjoy) has taken away a lot of moisture that should have gone into monsoon rains in south, central and east India,” he said. “Instead, Gujarat and Rajasthan got the rains. So the rest of the region didn’t get rain to release the heat and was also cloud-less, exposing [the areas] to more heat.”
The obvious question comes up. Why these power cuts? Uttar Pradesh failed to prepare for days of high temperatures. The crisis got resolved only with the advent of the rains. In American writer Kim Stanley Robinson's work of climate fiction, The Ministry of the Future, Uttar Pradesh sees heatwave-related deaths once the power goes off. Reality is mirroring fiction.
Also came corroboratory news that India is indeed heating up.
Other news. India will cut tariffs for daytime power use but charge a premium when electricity demand peaks during the night, reported Reuters. According to the newswire, this is a bid to manage surging demand and boost the use of renewable energy. “It is aimed at encouraging price-sensitive consumers to run their air-conditioners for fewer hours at night, which would in turn reduce the strain on overworked fossil-fuel power plants and lower the risk of nighttime power cuts,” it wrote.
The Indian government also demanded equity in its three big state refiners – IOC, HPCL and BPCL -- in return for funding their energy transition projects. Between them, the three refiners aim to spend as much as Rs.3.5-4 lakh crore to reach their net zero emission targets by 2040. The government is putting in just Rs.30,000 crore - less than 10% of that amount. One wonders how much equity it will take – and how the three oil-cos will raise the rest of the cash.
Elsewhere in India, things proceeded as ever. India now grants environmental clearances in just 75 days, boasted environment minister Bhupendra Yadav. Adani says it has raised money to start work on data centers. Talk continues on building a strategic gas reserve – as do India’s woes on how to pay for Russian oil. Vedanta wants to mine bauxite from another mine in Rayagada and Kalahandi – just like Niyamgiri. We are also mulling our own Carbon Border Tax.
News from the world. Lithium producers are worried demand might outstrip supply. North Atlantic temperatures dipped for a bit but then soared again. Even in the Antarctic, sea ice cover is the lowest it has ever been. We are also seeing extraordinary heatwaves elsewhere in the world – here is Mexico; here is the Atlantic. And here is what might be going on.
On the whole, we are still in uncharted waters. Speculation on where we are headed is scary.
Interview of the week
And then, there is Tesla. As we had mentioned earlier, China’s EV market really took off after Tesla entered the country. The country had a plethora of EV manufacturers by then but Tesla’s entry somehow brought buyers flocking in. In an interview to Business Standard, Niti Aayog’s Randheer Singh, who worked on e-mobility (his stint has just ended), speaks about the possible impact of Tesla’s entry into India.
Read of the week
“Meanwhile, as emotions run high, there are other crucial questions that the story of Arikomban raises. What created Arikomban, the unusual rice-eating elephant who was ready to take on the very high risks of stepping into human-use areas to get his favourite food?
Individual elephant histories matter, scientists studying elephant behaviour told The Wire. And while it’s easy to put all the blame on an Arikomban, there are numerous other factors that play a role in increased human-elephant interactions in the area, others said. These include changes in land use (such as people being settled in elephant habitats and corridors, and encroachments by illegal camping and tenting facilities), linear intrusions (such as existing roads being widened and residents fencing off their lands) and improper waste disposal – all of which can alter elephant behaviour and movement patterns, as the animals desperately try to adapt and navigate a changing world.”
Read part one here. Part Two is expected soon.
Scary climate news of the week
This year, monsoons reached Delhi and Mumbai on the same day. This is particularly good news for Mumbai. Its water stocks were perilously low.
Climate Reads of the Week
From The Wire, a look at how fishers read wind, clouds and climate. This is a must-read.
Too much heat is bad news for solar panels and can hurt energy generation. (Scroll)
Another report from Reasi, J&K. Why India’s Biggest Lithium Discovery Is A Concern For The Local Population (Indiaspend)
Why The Move To Organic Is Faltering In Sikkim, India’s First Fully Organic State. (Indiaspend)
India’s potential to address water scarcity through wastewater treatment and reuse
Inside India’s forest lands, a battle for land and resources (CJP)
BYD’s Big Moment (The Wire China)
Don’t Believe Modi’s Economic Success Story (Foreign Policy)
Why we might be the last generation to see the amazon. (Guardian)