Cooling rights in a sweltering South, Pg12

Key Highlights:

• In June 2025, the Government of India proposed that new ACs operate between 20°C and 28°C, with 24°C as the default.
• The BEE estimates this could save 20 billion units of energy annually, worth ₹10,000 crores, and reduce emissions by 16 million tonnes.
• In 2021, only 13% of urban and 1% of rural households in India owned an AC.
• The WHO estimates that heat exposure contributed to approximately 489,000 global deaths between 2000 and 2019, with India recording over 20,000.

Detailed Insights:

• Access to cooling is a critical adaptation need in the global South, not just a matter of comfort, due to rising temperatures and heat-related deaths.
• AC ownership in India is concentrated among the urban rich, with the richest 10% owning 72% of the total ACs in 2021, highlighting regional and interstate disparities.
• Developed countries have near-universal access to thermal comfort, while developing countries lag significantly, exemplified by the U.S.'s per capita electricity consumption for space cooling being 28 times higher than India's.
• Heat Action Plans (HAPs) in India, aimed at protecting vulnerable populations, face challenges due to underfunding, limited coordination, and weak legal foundations.
• Lack of reliable power in healthcare facilities in low-income countries undermines essential services during extreme heat, leading to spikes in various health conditions.
• Integrating heat resilience into core development priorities is crucial, requiring policies that focus on labor protection, social safety nets, and comprehensive heat action plans.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Climate Justice: Fair distribution of the burdens and benefits of climate change and related policies.
• Heat Action Plan (HAP): A strategy to reduce the health impacts of extreme heat events.
• Thermal Comfort: The condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with the surrounding environment.