The mercury hit 47 degrees Celsius in Phalodi, Rajasthan, this week, marking the highest temperature recorded in India so far this year. This is not an anomaly. It is a data point in a trend that is accelerating. The Indian Meteorological Department has confirmed that the heatwave, which has already claimed at least 25 lives across the country, is exacerbated by climate change. The science is clear: for every degree of global warming, the intensity and frequency of such extreme events increase exponentially.
For the United Kingdom, this is not just a humanitarian crisis unfolding on the other side of the world. It is a mirror. The same atmospheric dynamics that are roasting the Thar Desert are also disrupting the jet stream over Europe, leading to record-breaking heatwaves in the UK. In 2022, the UK saw its first 40C day. This year, the risk of similar events is higher than ever.
The British government’s net-zero target, legally binding since 2019, commits to reducing emissions by 78% by 2035 and reaching net-zero by 2050. These targets are ambitious, but the pace of change is still too slow. The Climate Change Committee has repeatedly warned that the UK is off-track for its fourth and fifth carbon budgets. The current heatwave in India should serve as a catalyst for faster action.
Consider the physics: The Earth’s energy imbalance is now approximately 1.0 W/m². To put it another way, the planet is accumulating heat at a rate equivalent to detonating four Hiroshima atomic bombs per second. That energy is driving the extreme weather we are witnessing. The only lever we have to reduce this imbalance is to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. That means decarbonising rapidly.
The UK has made progress: coal has been largely phased out, and renewables now provide over 40% of electricity. But transport and heating remain stubbornly high in emissions. The government’s recent delays to key policies, such as the phase-out of new petrol and diesel cars, are worrying. The science does not allow for delays. Every tonne of CO2 we emit now commits us to decades of warming.
India’s heatwave is a reminder that climate change is not a future problem. It is here. The net-zero transition is not a luxury; it is a survival strategy. The UK must accelerate its efforts, particularly in insulating homes, expanding public transport, and investing in carbon capture technologies. The alternative is a world where 47C becomes commonplace, not just in India, but in the UK as well.
