Temperatures in Delhi breached 45 degrees Celsius yesterday, triggering a public health warning as the Indian capital grapples with a severe heatwave. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert, urging residents to stay indoors and avoid exposure during peak hours. This is not an anomaly; it is a snapshot of our warming world.
The average global temperature has risen 1.2°C since pre-industrial times, and the frequency of such extreme events is accelerating. For Delhi, the consequences are visceral: overwhelmed hospitals, buckling power grids, and a death toll that climbs each summer.
The physics is simple: greenhouse gases trap heat, and we are adding 40 billion tonnes of CO2 annually. The solution is an energy transition, but until we decarbonise, such crises will become the norm. As a climate correspondent, I have observed that the gap between scientific warnings and political action remains our greatest vulnerability.
Today, Delhi burns, but it is a fire we have set ourselves.
