Latest research has shown that heatwaves could contribute to the growing problem of food inflation, the productivity of workers also declines during heatwaves. In a piece for Mint, Dr Niranjan Rajadhyaksha, Executive Director, Artha Global, writes that there is a need for collaborative effort to protect the poor from the worst effects of rising temperatures.
Excerpts below:
“Shocks to agricultural production because of climatic conditions is not a new issue in India. The risk from a capricious monsoon is known through history. […] Compared to the monsoon, heat has been given relatively less importance when thinking about climate risks. […] Perhaps it is time to add heat as a variable, at least going by concerns over the past couple of years about the impact of heatwaves on farm production as well as food inflation.”
“Rising temperatures can also hurt labour productivity, not so much for the elite that can crank up the air-conditioning to beat the heat, but for the millions who work out in the open. […] This happens in two ways. First, workers work less. Second, absenteeism rises. […] Climate control at the workplace can make a difference, but companies may find the economic case weak if value added per worker is too low to justify investment in air-conditioning.”
Read the full article here.
