Lethal Heat

I have a piece in The Guardian on the election results asking if we can have democracy if temperatures continue to rise.

The crucial point to be noted here is that the heat did not figure at all among the thundering sentiments delivered from the dais by the candidates. The prominent environmentalist Ashish Kothari told me that the “full dimensions of the climate crisis” had escaped both the BJP’s and Congress’s manifestos. In the face of such silence, it fell on the Delhi High Court to warn of the effects of global warming this past week: The court warned that Delhi could soon turn into “a barren desert.”

More here.

Please check out my Substack “Beat the Heat” where I have also included this lovely document from Ravish:

 

Translation: “With all their remaining strength, the common people have built an opposition and erected our parliament. This creation of the opposition is the people’s mandate. 2024 has given a gift to Bapu’s and Babasaheb Ambedkar’s dreams for our democracy. It has given us an opposition.” Ravish Kumar