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<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/costs-of-being-single-woman-taxes-wages-social-life-2022-2">Women</a> and <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/investing-in-girls-education-can-boost-developing-nations-gdp-citi-2020-10-1029728823">girls</a> face unique risks as the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mass-animal-extinctions-climate-change-un-ipcc-report-2022-3">climate crisis</a> deepens, according to a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/climate-change-alter-human-life-un-ipcc-report-2022-2">new UN report</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-show-bathtub-ring-along-a-parched-los-angeles-reservoir-2021-7">Water</a> scarcity can lead to increased violence against <keyword id="11892913" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="women" source="Orion">women</keyword> and <keyword id="12720160" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="girls" source="Orion">girls</keyword>, who are often responsible for fetching water.</li></ul>Roughly half of people on the planet are at heightened risk from <keyword id="11896311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="climate-change" source="Orion">climate change</keyword>, a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mass-animal-extinctions-climate-change-un-ipcc-report-2022-3">grim report</a> published this week by the United Nations revealed. Women and girls, along with pregnant people and the fetuses they carry, face greater health and safety issues from rising temperatures than men."All women are at increased risk," Rupa Basu, chief of air and climate epidemiology at the California Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, who was not involved in the report, told Insider.Women and girls are both more likely than men to die in extreme weather events, more at risk of domestic and sexual violence in the aftermath, and more likely to suffer food insecurity, according to the report. When pregnant, such catastrophes can lead to serious complications.<div type="image" title="pregnant woman with belly exposed talks to child next to water spout" height="1665" width="2220" msid="90018619" hostid="261"></div>"Women are more exposed, and this is because we see that climate change exacerbates existing inequalities so much," Marlene Achoki, who co-leads global policy on climate justice for the humanitarian organization CARE, told Insider.Men often have control over critical resources like food and water, while women tend to have less credit and mobility to help them adapt to new extremes, according to the report.The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (<keyword id="6941656" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ipcc" source="Orion">IPCC</keyword>) recruited hundreds of scientists to summarize years of research for its sixth climate assessment. The first working group shared its findings last year, focusing on the physical changes to our planet. Monday's publication, from the second working group, examines how those changes will affect ecosystems and human lives.The report projects that extreme weather — floods, droughts, and <keyword id="11930977" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="heat" source="Orion">heat</keyword> waves — will become more frequent and more severe in the coming decades, driving food and water shortages across the globe. To protect women, girls, and pregnant people, governments must start preparing for these disasters, and their health outcomes, now."I'm happy to see that pregnant women and women and girls are included in this report," Basu said, adding, "For so long, they were kind of just missed as being a high-risk population."<h2>Women trek miles in extreme heat and face violence to fetch water</h2><div type="image" title="three women walk through field carrying water jerrycans on heads" height="1665" width="2220" msid="90018622" hostid="261"></div>In places where drinking water doesn't come from a tap, women and girls trek out of town to collect water, according to the IPCC report. During droughts, they often have to walk to more distant water sites, putting them at risk of heat stroke, as well as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/nov/03/we-run-from-men-only-to-meet-crocodiles-kenyas-drought-is-deadly-for-women">gender-based violence</a>.Aditi Mukherji, who led the water chapter of the new IPCC report, said where she lives in India, women have to walk long distances for water. Achoki said she's seen the same thing in Kenya."When I travel to the northern part of our country, that is at the edge of the border, it is so hot. Just one step when I land down to the airstrip and I feel like going back to the plane," Achoki told Insider.In this heat, she said, women and girls sometimes walk as far as 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) to fetch water. When they reach it, long lines often await them. In the process, they face an increased risk of injuries, encounters with dangerous animals, and sexual abuse, such as demand for sexual favors in exchange for water, according to the IPCC report.<div type="image" title="woman in headscarf squats to collect grain" height="1875" width="2500" msid="90018624" hostid="261"></div>Increased access to water, like local community taps, wells, and better water-storage facilities could help protect women and girls as droughts grow more prolonged and severe. The challenge is getting governments and organizations to pay for those fixes."It's not as if the solutions are new or anything. It's often about lack of finance," Mukerheji told Insider.<h2>Risks rise during <keyword id="6357793" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pregnancy" source="Orion">pregnancy</keyword>: 'You feel a little helpless in a way'</h2><div type="image" title="pregnant woman wearing black shades eyes from the sun in arizona desert" height="1669" width="2225" msid="90018627" hostid="261"></div>Basu usually runs cold — she'll find herself shivering on warm, sunny days in Oakland, California. But that changed when she got pregnant. Suddenly she would heat up and break out in a sweat, while everyone around her seemed perfectly comfortable."I just couldn't regulate my body temperature," she said.She had studied how heat affects high-risk populations, like older people, but she didn't expect to be one of them anytime soon."I was kind of feeling like, 'Oh, I get it now. I can feel it,'" she said. "You feel a little helpless in a way."Basu's experience made her wonder if pregnant people, too, were uniquely vulnerable to extreme heat.<div type="image" title="A masked pregnant woman holding her stomach" height="1749" width="2332" msid="90018629" hostid="261"></div>Soon she led an analysis of nearly 60,000 births across 16 California counties, comparing birth outcomes with weekly averages of apparent temperature (which accounts for humidity) from the parents' residential zip codes. She found that an increase of 10 degrees Fahrenheit was associated with 8.6% more preterm births. The <a href="https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/172/10/1108/90774?login=true">study</a> was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 2010.Since then, <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m3811#:~:text=Association%20with%20preterm%20births%20and,1.16%2Dfold%20higher%20during%20heatwaves.">further</a> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4468458/">studies</a> have found similar relationships between temperature increases or heat waves and a rise in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6263858/">preterm</a> births or <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33781772/">stillbirths</a>."Only in the last decade do we have any data at all to support the association between heat and adverse birth outcomes," Basu said.Several studies cited in the IPCC report suggest that extreme heat, airborne particulates like those carried in wildfire smoke, and water-related illnesses are linked to higher rates of miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight, and preterm birth.<div type="image" title="A pregnant mother receives the COVID-19 vaccine at a maternity clinic in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Aug. 24, 2021." height="3474" width="4632" msid="90018631" hostid="261"></div>Still, heat advisories often leave pregnant people out of their recommendations for vulnerable populations. Similar to older or immunocompromised people, Basu said, pregnant people may need to take extra precautions — keeping cool and inactive on hot days, or staying indoors with an air filter when wildfire smoke adds moderate levels of particulate matter to the air."I keep coming back to the same point, to not just look at the general population and see what's happening, but then to look at the really high-risk, most vulnerable populations and also consider them," Basu said, adding, "I think that's often missed, and then we're not really getting the whole picture."

Rising temperatures put women and girls in danger. Pregnancy drives risk even higher.

In a town in western <a class="link-text" href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/india">India</a>, every conversation involves a possible solution to the crisis.Standing in his brown, dusty field, Narayan Mahale looks at the Wagh river that runs under the cliff on which his field lies, and is convinced the solution is a piped supply of water. Less than 5km away, Ramchandra Mahale believes a dam will suffice. His neighbour, Anita Gaikwad, says the key is to find better ways to harvest rainwater. The villagers in Mokhada, in the Palghar district of India’s western state of Maharashtra, can’t help themselves. <a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/0cd38f20-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/0cd38f20-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/0cd38f20-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/0cd38f20-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"> Farmer Narayan Mahale can see the river, now drying, flowing past through the year. But that water often does not reach him. Photo: Kunal Purohit </a> This region is facing a crushing <keyword id="68552" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="water-scarcity">water scarcity</keyword>. Dominated mostly by tribal hamlets, Mokhada is underdeveloped – it has a literacy rate that is two-thirds lower than the national rate of 74 per cent; it sees hundreds of children dying each year due to poor nourishment and health care facilities. Very few villages have any piped supply of water. As a result, many of them have to depend on common wells. But last year’s scarce rainfall meant that many village wells ran dry by January this year. It isn’t just Palghar alone; 43 per cent of India is gripped by a severe drought, being abnormally to exceptionally dry. <a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/3e6424e0-9bef-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/3e6424e0-9bef-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/3e6424e0-9bef-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/3e6424e0-9bef-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"> Map of the areas facing drought in India. Graphic: SCMP</a> But Mokhada’s drought carries a heavy and almost tragic sense of irony. It is not a dry region; five rivers originate here. The region generally sees over 2,400 millimetres of rainfall a year. But instead of providing for the locals, much of the water is diverted to Mumbai – which gets a major chunk of its water from here – along with other cities and industrial corridors. The scarcity can turn fatal. In April 2012, a woman died from the exertion of trying to fetch water. In addition, the hilly terrain in the region means the rainwater does not percolate but instead, slides off down the valley into the rivers. Locals are left with the hard choice of staring at rivers flowing past, even as they struggle for each drop. <a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/5d2d5df2-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/5d2d5df2-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/5d2d5df2-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/5d2d5df2-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"> Mathura Waghare, a resident of Brahmanpada village in Mokhada, stands with a drum of water. Such drums cost as much as US$5-6. Photo: Kunal Purohit</a> SLEEPLESS NIGHTS SPENT DODGING SNAKES AND SCORPIONS The crisis is overturning the lives of Mokhada locals, who are staying awake through the night in search of water. Mathura Waghare, 35, from the tribal village of Brahmanpada, now has a routine that revolves around getting adequate water for her supply to survive each day. The village’s only source of water, a common well, ran out of water in January this year. Since then, Waghare has been searching for water in nearby villages on foot. When she found water 2km away in a neighbouring village, she was relieved. But the next day, villagers there were up in arms. 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="Without water, we can’t survive, so sleep does not matter" auname="Mathura Waghare, villager"></div>


 “People in that village feared that they would run out of water if we continued going there. So, they refused to allow us to fill water,” she says. That’s when Waghare decided that she had had enough. She decided to head into the forest, to a well she knew was a 45-minute walk from Brahmanpada. This did not have much water, but the groundwater area in the table was high, she said. So the villagers would wait at the well every day for groundwater to percolate into the well. Each night at around 3am, Waghare starts walking into the forest with her stainless steel handis (large pots). Most nights, women from the neighbourhood walk with her. “It gets scary to walk alone. There are scorpions and snakes in the forest; the other night, we saw a snake slide past,” Waghare says. <a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/71dbed5e-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/71dbed5e-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/71dbed5e-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"></a><a class="link-text" href="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/07/02/71dbed5e-9be4-11e9-baa5-dd214ed0de8f_image_hires_115323.jpg"> Mathura Mavle dug this pit with her friend, using their bare hands, in their desperation for water. Photo: Kunal Purohit </a> With battery-operated torches in their hands, and balancing the handis on their heads, the women set out each night and sometimes, even multiple times in the day, if they receive unexpected guests or if the water runs out sooner. Once at the well, Waghare queues up, waiting for the water to percolate. “Sometimes, it takes 3-4 hours; other times, there is enough water in an hour. It is unpredictable,” she explains. Water filled, she balances two handis on her head, the third one in her hand, fingers firmly clasped around its neck. On an average day, she sleeps for five hours, before waking up between 2am and 3am. But there are days when her worries are so severe that she cannot sleep. “So, I finish my chores in the night and set out at 10pm or so. Without water, we can’t survive, so sleep does not matter,” she says. TAKING MATTERS INTO HER OWN HANDS Mathura Mavle, 30, sympathises with Waghare’s situation. Mavle lives in the tribal village of Kharawali, about 5km away from Waghare’s Brahmanpada. Just outside Mavle’s house lies a well. But it is bone-dry and its floor lies exposed to the sun. Another well, 1.5km away, is also nearly dry. So one summer day, two months ago, Mavle and Asha H* walked for a kilometre or so, climbing down small rocky cliffs to where a small stream flows past in the monsoons. The stream goes dry by October every year. One rock at a time, they both dug a small hole in the earth, at the base of an old tree. They kept digging through the day. Seven hours later, at a depth of almost one metre, they hit water. <h3 style="border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; display: inherit; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 1.71rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; line-height: 2.42rem; margin-bottom: 2.35rem; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="link-text" href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3012754/water-shortages-and-heatstroke-warnings-issued-temperatures">Warnings issued as temperatures pass 50 Celsius in India heatwave </a></h3>The women have been trekking to the pit every day since, with their children and sometimes their husbands in tow, to collect water. But digging the hole, they realised, was just half the battle won. Standing over the pit, Mavle says: “There is only as much water a small pit like this can carry. So, whenever it runs out of water, we just sit around, waiting for groundwater to percolate into it.” The unpredictability means locals can be queuing up at the pit for up to half the day. Today isn’t one of those days. Mavle walks into the pit, crouches and patiently fills her pots, one bowl at a time. “We got lucky today,” she says, smiling. MOKHADA’S LONG-STANDING NEGLECT For activists working in the region, Mokhada’s struggles are a result of a long-standing neglect of the region. Brian Lobo, a veteran activist of the Kashtakari Sanghatana (Farmers Collective), says the locals have been clamouring for authorities to address the issue for years. He points to the three major dams in the region – these dams on the Vaitarna river, flowing through the region, supplying daily over 1,000 million litres of water to Mumbai. “We have demanded that the water from one of these dams, the Upper Vaitarna dam in the region be used to fulfil the needs of locals, rather than being diverted for industrial purposes.” Lobo said a study had even found it to be a workable solution. “But, consequent governments refused to implement it,” he said. <h2 style="border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 1.71rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 2.21rem; margin-bottom: 0.42rem; margin-top: 1.14rem; vertical-align: baseline;">This crisis is not just about the poor management of water alone but a broader mismanagement of natural resources. Brian Lobo, activist</h2>One of the first dams in the region, the Modak Sagar Dam, was constructed in 1957 to supply water to Mumbai. The dam supplies over 400 million litres of water to Mumbai each day. The administrative head of Palghar district, Dr Prashant Nanaware, admits that there’s a problem. He says the government is working out a solution. “We also believe that the river’s water can be diverted for locals. We are working on a proposal to have water supply schemes for these parched villages and once approved, we will execute these.” But Mokhada is not alone in experiencing poor water supplies. At a time when a severe water crisis has gripped much of India, including the southern metropolis of Chennai, such similar stories of poor management of water resources abound. <h3 style="border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; display: inherit; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 1.71rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; line-height: 2.42rem; margin-bottom: 2.35rem; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="link-text" href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3015251/workers-told-shower-less-hotels-ration-water-guests-reservoirs">Workers told to shower less as reservoirs in Chennai city dry up </a></h3>Chennai, a city with over 9 million inhabitants, faces a crippling water shortage – four major reservoirs that form the bulk of its water supply have dipped to less than 1 per cent of their capacity. Other sources are also running out of water. With its official monsoon season at least two more months away, the city is praying for unseasonal rainfall. But even in Chennai, data shows many of the city’s water bodies, which could have been a valuable asset in this scarcity, have become defunct due to poor management as well as allowing construction on it. Similarly, unplanned urbanisation has led to many of its wetlands shrinking to a fraction of their original size in the last few decades. Nityanand Jayaraman, a Chennai-based writer and a social activist who has been tracking environmental causes, says: “This crisis is not just about the poor management of water alone but a broader mismanagement of natural resources. Chennai’s growth has come at the cost of open spaces and water bodies, both of which are taken over and built upon to create more and more housing.” The pattern isn’t unique to Chennai, Jayaraman says. Pointing to other Indian metros, he says: “Across different Indian metros, we have followed this same model of development, one that prioritises needs of housing and commerce but not the environment.” *Name changed because she works for the local government and did not wish to be identified

India’s deadly drought: Villagers in Mokhada battle sleepless nights, snakes in search of water

<ul><li>
As many as 100 million people in the country are suffering from the nation-wide water crisis. </li><li>Moreover, 21 major cities are expected to be devoid of groundwater by 2020, says government think tank NITI Aayog. </li></ul> No drops, No rain, nothing. India is suffering from its worst-ever water crisis in history. It has already started affecting hundreds and millions of lives and livelihoods across the country. And, people are craving for water to drink as well. “How will three pots of water be sufficient for an entire family of five,” asks a resident of Chennai — India’s sixth largest city — which ran out of water after all four reservoirs dried up this summer. 
 
 
 
 <div type="image" title="Chennai: People rush to fill their vessels from a water tanker following acute w..." msid="69988629" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;People rush to fill their vessels from a water tanker following acute water shortage, in Chennai.Photo)(&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>








 A large number of people are now washing utensils in dirty water, to save the clean water for cooking and drinking. There won’t be any relief anytime soon as the southwest monsoon — accounting 80% of India’s rainfall — is late and is expected to be <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/monsoon-to-be-below-normal-over-north-south-india-imd/articleshow/69602283.cms">lower than usual</a> in both north and south India. As many as 100 million people in the country are suffering from the nation-wide water crisis. Moreover, 21 major cities are expected to be devoid of groundwater by 2020, says government think tank NITI Aayog Only some parts of the country have received rainfall — that too almost a week late. Apart from the water crisis, the harsh heatwaves in the country took more than <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/22/india/chennai-india-water-crisis-intl/index.html">137 lives </a>. India’s dwindling water sources worsened the situation. <a href="http://202.159.215.252:83/DocumentUploadRoot/DocumentId_32837/20.06.2019_CWC_Bull.pdf">According to the Central Water Commission</a>, two-thirds water reservoirs in the country are below normal levels. Little Water, No Water — Current status of crisis across the country 
 
 
 
 <div type="image" title="Women fetch water from an opening made by residents at a dried-up lake in Chennai" msid="69988642" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Women fetch water from an opening made by residents at a dried-up lake in Chennai, India, June 11, 2019. REUTERS/P. Ravikumar TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>









 On 2 June 2019, a video of women filling bucket from the water leaked by a water tanker over the road went viral on social media, reported India spend. More than 100 districts across the country are officially affected by drought. Most of the districts (80%) in Karnataka and Maharashtra (72%) are hit by drought and crop failure. As many as 8.2 million farmers are struggling for livelihood. With scarcity comes strife. The state governments of Karnataka and Maharashtra — are now fighting over sharing water resources. Every day, Maharashtra government is sending 6,000 water tankers to 4,920 villages and 10,506 hamlets or settlements (bastis) in drought-hit areas. In the South, the Tamil Nadu government had to sanction Rs 233 crore to initiate emergency water projects. The state capital — Chennai— had to shut down the air conditioning to save as much as 9,000 litres a day. People have to stand in line for hours and they get foul-smelling water that might have been mixed with sewage. Karnataka too was forced to shut schools for a week due to water scarcity. Separately, residents of Bhilwara in Rajasthan have to keep water ‘locked’ in tankers since they depend on drinking water that is supplied once in 10 days. They are worried that it might be stolen! No groundwater by 2020 
 
 
 
 <div type="image" title="India Water Shortage" msid="69988668" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Indiand stand in queues to fill vessels filled with drinking water from a water tanker in Chennai, capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Wednesday, June 19, 2019. Millions of people are turning to water tank trucks in the state as house and hotel taps run dry in an acute water shortage caused by drying lakes and depleted groundwater. Some private companies have asked employees to work from home and several restaurants are closing early and even considering stopping lunch meals if the water scarcity aggravates.Photo/R. Parthibhan)&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>









AP New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad are amongst the 21 cities that will run out of groundwater by 2020. This will affect as many as 100 million people, claims a report by NITI Ayog. Furthermore, 40% of India’s population will struggle for drinking water by 2030. With India’s water crisis deepening by the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently created Ministry of Jal Shakti that is going to look after the water resource management. Modi also reiterated his promise to provide piped water to every rural house in India by 2024. However, analysts have claimed that won’t be enough. A UN Human rights report claimed that soon only wealthy people in the world would be able to afford basic necessities in case of a drought, heatwave or famine. Falling rainfall levels in India 
 
 
 
 <div type="image" title="Chennai: School students offer prayers to rain god seeking rainfall following th..." msid="69988705" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;School students offer prayers to rain god seeking rainfall following the severe water crisis, in Chennai.Photo) (&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>










 The Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) reported that 43.4% areas in the country are under drought as of 30 May 2019. A delayed monsoon is among the primary reasons for the current crisis. In the last five years, 2017 was the only year when India did not experience drought, reported India spend. Both South west monsoon and North-east monsoon were lower than usual. Last year, India Meteorological Department said that the ‘post-monsoon’ rainfall — responsible for 10-20% of the India’s monsoon — was lower by 44%. And the pre-monsoon rainfall was the lowest it saw in the last 65 years. Experts fear that India is soon going to witness Day Zero if no action is taken on time.

Five years on, India may not even get a chance to solve its on-going water crisis risking hundreds of millions of lives

<keyword id="644986" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Heatwaves" source="Orion">Heatwaves</keyword> somewhere, <keyword id="48088" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="floods" source="Orion">floods</keyword> in other parts of the country – India has witnessed extreme <keyword id="14334985" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="weather-patterns-in-2022" source="Orion">weather patterns in 2022</keyword> and we are only just halfway through the year. <div type="image" title="India has witnessed extreme weather patterns in 2022" msid="92584664" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;India has witnessed extreme weather patterns in 2022 &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Erratic monsoon in India India is witnessing <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/nature-and-wildlife/article/erratic-rainfall-pattern-in-india-amid-climate-change-warns-ipcc-report-23223005">erratic</a> rainfall after suffering from intense heat waves in April. On one hand, Assam has received <a href="https://weather.com/en-IN/india/monsoon/news/2022-06-24-southwest-monsoon-to-cover-india-entirely-between-june-30-and-july-6">too much</a> rainfall and on the other, Jharkhand has received around half of what it’s due. The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/the-winds-of-change-are-changing-the-fortunes-of-indian-farmers/articleshow/92487685.cms">easterly winds</a> that bring monsoon to the Northwest India have been absent in June this year, leading to a dry spell in the region. Instead, those winds drifted to Northeast India, leading to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/the-winds-of-change-are-changing-the-fortunes-of-indian-farmers/articleshow/92487685.cms">floods</a>. As June came to an end, as per <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1542378873492344835">IMD</a>, Southwest monsoon advanced into entire Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmiri, some parts of Rajasthan, entire Delhi, some parts of Punjab and Haryana on Thursday. According to the latest EcoScope report from research firm Motilal Oswal, India’s cumulative rainfall has a reported deficit of 7% as of June 26, 2022 after reporting a surplus of 20% in 2021 and 22% in 2020. The deficiency of rainfall is because the northwestern, central and southern parts of India have a shortfall of rains, suggesting that the issue is a lot more widespread than initially expected. <div type="image" title="The northwestern, central and southern parts of India have a shortfall of rains" msid="92584693" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The northwestern, central and southern parts of India have a shortfall of rains&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> A see-saw summer From long dry spells to excessive rainfall, 2022 has been a year of extremes so far. As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), April was the <a href="https://internal.imd.gov.in/press_release/20220402_pr_1551.pdf">hottest</a> month for northwest and central India and the third-hottest April the country has seen over the past 122 years, from 1901 to 2022. The daily high temperatures measured each year have also been increasing at a faster rate than daily low temperatures. This indicates that the distribution of temperature is shifting and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/02/india-heat-wave-in-pictures.html">changing</a> the ‘normal’ state. In fact, 12 of the country’s 15 <a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1686173">warmest years</a> on record have occurred in the last 30 years. <div type="image" title="12 of the country’s 15 warmest years on record have occurred in the last 30 years" msid="92584779" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;12 of the country&amp;#8217;s 15 warmest years on record have occurred in the last 30 years&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> These recurring patterns of intense hot spells and erratic rainfall could be a sign of climate change and global warming. Our country is also expected to suffer through more frequent and intense hot spells, extreme rainfall and erratic monsoons in the coming decades as the planet warms, said <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/india-s-record-heatwave-to-get-worse-authorities-blame-global-warming-122042900785_1.html">United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel</a>, a body for assessing science related to climate change. Cascading impacts of climate change This radical change in the weather is not good news for a country like India, which is heavily dependent on agriculture as it contributes <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/10/extreme-weather-becomes-the-new-normal-in-indias-main-monsoon-season/">16-20% to GDP</a>, according to Finance Ministry data. In a country like India farmers are heavily dependent on monsoons for irrigating their fields, erratic rainfall and hot summer are the bane for their cultivation. According to a <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.IRIG.AG.ZS">World Bank report</a>, as of 2015, nearly 62% of the agricultural lands in India are dependent on monsoon rains for irrigation. As of 24th Jun’22, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/the-winds-of-change-are-changing-the-fortunes-of-indian-farmers/articleshow/92487685.cms">Kharif sowing</a> is 24% lower than the area sown last year. <div type="image" title="Kharif sowing is 24% lower than the area sown last year" msid="92584805" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Kharif sowing is 24% lower than the area sown last year&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The 2022 summer, which was ridden with heatwaves, led to cascading impacts not just on human health, but also on ecosystems such as agriculture, water and energy supplies. Power demand spiked and coal inventories dropped, leaving the country with its worst <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/why-are-there-power-cuts-and-heatwave-in-india/articleshow/91177785.cms">power shortage</a> in more than six years. The heat wave also <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/india/after-five-record-crops-heat-wave-threatens-indias-wheat-output-export-plans-2022-05-02/">threatened</a> India’s wheat output plan. According to a World Meteorological Organization report released in 2020, India lost more than <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-lost-87-billion-to-climate-disasters-in-2020-report-101635272896946.html">$87 billion</a> (approx. ₹6.8 lakh crore) due to disasters such as cyclones, floods and droughts. However, there’s still hope to <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/2022/04/04/ipcc-ar6-wgiii-pressrelease/">control</a> climate change. It will involve a substantial reduction in fossil fuel use, widespread electrification, improved energy efficiency, and use of alternative fuels (such as hydrogen).

SIMPLY PUT: Extreme weather is the new normal in India

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">SevereStudios.com via APDamage from Hurricane Michael at Mexico Beach, Florida in October 2018.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>On Tuesday, 28 commissioners and 17 countries around the world banded together to form the Global Commission on Adaptation.</li><li>Their task for the next year will be to figure out the best ways to both fight and cope with the dramatic, disastrous effects of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ipcc-climate-change-report-why-2-degree-warming-is-dangerous-2018-10">life on a hotter planet</a>.</li><li>The program is led by Bill Gates, Ban Ki-moon, and World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva.</li><li>The commission also includes 25 other leaders from around the globe, including the mayors of Miami and Paris, as well as China's environment minister.</li><li>The 17 countries on board include big players in the world's energy economy, like Canada, Mexico, China, India, Germany, and the UK. (The US is not on the list.)</li><li>Scroll down for a full list of who's involved.</li></ul>The bad <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> about our planet <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ipcc-climate-change-report-why-2-degree-warming-is-dangerous-2018-10">released last week</a> from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests that time is running very short to get serious about the threat of disastrous floods, storms, fires, droughts, and extreme poverty that could soon hit as a result of climate change.The news is so dire, it's prompted a new last-ditch effort to help the world better deal with these coming disasters.Dubbed the Global Commission on Adaptation, it will be led by philanthropist Bill Gates, former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, and World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva."We are at a moment of high risk and great promise," Gates said in a release, before the commission was announced Tuesday in The Hague."We need policies to help vulnerable populations adapt, and we need to ensure that governments and other stakeholders are supporting innovation and helping deliver those breakthroughs to the people and places that need them most."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Jemal Countess/Getty ImagesBill Gates and Melinda Gates with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the United Nations on September 25, 2015 in New York City.</div></div></div>To that end, his new commission is beginning a two year plan: first, they will spend approximately one year researching and developing the best ways to deal with life in a warmer world.Next September, they'll present their best ideas from that brainstorm at the 2019 United Nations Secretary General's Climate Summit.Then, begins the second "year of action," where those ideas are put into practice around the world. "If everyone does their part, we can reduce carbon emissions, increase access to affordable energy, and help farmers everywhere grow more productive crops," Gates said.In some of the hottest zones around the equator, that might mean adopting new farming techniques for crops, like growing corn or coffee designed to be more drought-resistant.Georgieva suggested some places might want to switch from consuming chickens to breeding and eating more ducks, because ducks can swim through a flood.Other coastal areas might plant more mangrove trees, to help <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-mangroves-coral-reefs-could-cut-flood-insurance-premiums-lloyds-2017-6">reduce the impact of devastating floods, while saving cash on seawalls</a>.In cities, the commission may suggest ways to better regulate emissions through stricter building code rules."We are the last generation that can change the course of climate change," Georgieva said. "And we are the first generation that has to live with its consequences." <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40238275@N02/3979119182/in/photolist-74C2v9-hyEgxU-gdDifG-fHkuTT-fHkzdg-fHCkzy-fHkDi6-fHCaDY-fHC6VQ-eMNbmu-7y7Cjg-fHCec1-gdDwrm-gdDbJo-gdE2pD-dVQzmY">Steve Shattuck/Flickr</a>Natural adaptations like mangroves are around 30 times cheaper than manmade seawalls, according to a recent report from Lloyd's of London.</div></div></div>That means that we must both adapt to our rapidly warming world, and try to reduce emissions that will heat the planet up further, all at the same time.The commission assumes that it's probably too late to stop or reverse dangerous, damaging effects of climate change altogether, but their plan aims to both mitigate those effects, while also reducing pollution and saving money.Georgieva estimates that every one dollar spent on this kind of climate resilience, could save $4 to $7 in damages later. Humans have already heated things up more than one degree Celsius since preindustrial times, and recently <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hothouse-earth-climate-change-tipping-point-2018-8">scientists warned that we could be on track to hit a dangerous tipping point</a>, triggering an unprecedented temperature spike around the world.Already, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-florence-how-climate-change-affects-rainfall-2018-9">we're getting a glimpse of</a> life on a warmer planet: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricanes-and-rain-getting-stronger-2018-6">wetter rainstorms</a>, more intense heat waves, and rising seas.Currently, the commission argues there's a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/french-president-emmanuel-macron-global-finance-climate-business-2018-9">lack of decent incentives</a> to invest in new ideas about how to deal with these problems, and the ideas that are out there aren't getting shared quickly and efficiently enough.The commission is worried that if swift action isn't taken now, we could have problems finding enough food, water and energy to stay alive in the coming decades, especially in the developing world."Decisions are still being made with short-term risk, not long-term risk in mind," Moon said on the call. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pennymaycock/14333442687/">Flickr / babar141</a>Ducks may be a smarter food source than chickens in the near future, the commission suggests, because they can swim through a flood, if needed.</div></div></div>Ironically, those who will be at greatest risk of losing their homes, businesses, and lives to climate change are the ones who've contributed the least to warming the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels like coal and gas for energy."Our estimate is that most likely we would see some hundred million people falling back in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gates-foundation-goalkeepers-2018-report-ceo-sue-desmond-hellman-2018-9">extreme poverty</a> by 2030 as a result of climate change," Georgieva said during a press call before the commission was announced. Moon said the commission will aim to help some of those "poorest and most vulnerable" living in some of the hottest zones of the world adapt to climate change with new kinds of climate-related insurance.Here's the full list of the countries and commissioners that have signed on to participate in the initiative so far.<h2>Countries:</h2><ul><li>Argentina</li><li>Bangladesh</li><li>Canada</li><li>China</li><li>Costa Rica</li><li>Denmark</li><li>Ethiopia</li><li>Germany</li><li>Grenada</li><li>India</li><li>Indonesia</li><li>Marshall Islands</li><li>Mexico</li><li>Netherlands</li><li>Senegal</li><li>South Africa</li><li>United Kingdom</li></ul><h2>Commissioners:</h2><ul><li>Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary-General of the United Nations </li><li>Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation </li><li>Kristalina Georgieva, CEO, World Bank </li><li>Hilda Heine, President, Marshall Islands </li><li>Keith Mitchell, Prime Minister, Grenada </li><li>Akinwumi Adesina, President, African Development Bank </li><li>Elhadj As Sy, Secretary General, IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) </li><li>Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights </li><li>Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) </li><li>Christiana Figueres, Former Executive Secretary, UNFCCC </li><li>Li Ganjie, Minister of Ecology and Environment, China </li><li>Anne Hidalgo, Mayor, Paris </li><li>Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, UK </li><li>Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility </li><li>Peter Damgaard Jensen, CEO, PKA Ltd. </li><li>Agnes Kalibata, President, AGRA </li><li>Loren Legarda, Chair, Senate Finance Committee, Philippines </li><li>Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Chairman, Econet Wireless </li><li>José Antonio Meade, Former Finance Minister, Mexico </li><li>Gerd Müller, Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany </li><li>Muhammad Musa, Executive Director, BRAC </li><li>Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Netherlands </li><li>Sheela Patel, Chair, Slum/Shack Dwellers International </li><li>Feike Sijbesma, CEO, Royal DSM </li><li>Francis Suarez, Mayor, Miami </li><li>Shemara Wikramanayake, CEO, Macquarie Group Ltd </li><li>Erik Solheim, Executive Director, UN Environment </li><li>Andrew Steer, President and CEO, World Resources Institute </li></ul> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/is-activated-charcoal-safe-for-eat-drink-teeth-whitening-2018-9">What activated charcoal actually does to your body</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Bill Gates and Ban Ki-moon are recruiting mayors, heads of state, and finance pros around the world on a last-minute quest to save us from catastrophic heat, drought and flooding

<ul><li>Monsoon is likely to hit Kerala on June 8. </li><li>With the monsoon delayed for another week, heatwaves in Northern India are going to continue. </li></ul><a href="https://sites.google.com/a/iitgn.ac.in/high_resolution_south_asia_drought_monitor/drought-early-warning-system/dews-india">With the early drought warning hovering over 43.3% parts of the country</a>, people in India aren’t going to get relieved from heat waves for another week. However<a href="http://www.imd.gov.in/pages/monsoon_main.php?adta=PDF&amp;adtb=6"> the monsoon is likely to begin within 48 hours</a> in Kerala and would take at least seven days to reach the central and western regions of the country. 
 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="Heavy to Very heavy rainfall at isolated places likely over Assam &amp; Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram &amp; Tripura, South Interior Karnataka and Kerala &amp; Mahe on June 8. Heavy rainfall at isolated places likely over Tamilnadu, Puducherry &amp; Karaikal, Lakshadweep, Rayalaseema and Odisha" auname="— Special daily Weather Report by the India Meteorological Department"></div>




 Temperature in Rajasthan’s Churu soared to 50 degree Celsius on June 1— the day when monsoon normally hits Southern parts of India. Many parts of the country are struggling with heat waves with the maximum temperature between 45 degrees to 50 degree Celsius. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), heat waves were expected in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, Telangana and coastal Andhra Pradesh. <a href="http://www.imd.gov.in/pages/monsoon_main.php?adta=JPG&amp;adtb=1">Expected Monsoon dates in key parts of India </a> <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">State </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">Normal Monsoon onset date </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">Delayed till (Approximate)* </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">Kerala </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">1 June </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">8 June </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">Tamil Nadu </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">1 June </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">8 June </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">Odisha </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">10 June </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">17 June </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">Maharashtra </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">10 June </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">17 June </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">New Delhi </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">29 June </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">5 July </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">West Bengal </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">10 June </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">17 June </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">Bihar </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">10 June </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">17 June </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">Andhra Pradesh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">1 June </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">8 June </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">Karnataka </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">5 June </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">13 June </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">Haryana </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">1 July </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">8 July </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">Punjab </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">1 July </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">8 July </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">Uttar Pradesh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;"> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;"> </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">Madhya Pradesh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">15 June </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">22 June </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">Meghalaya </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">5 June </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">13 June </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">Chattisgarh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">10 June </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">18 June </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">Rajasthan </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">1 July </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;">8 July </td></tr></tbody></table>*These are expected dates and may differ from the actual dates. This has been the second driest pre-monsoon season in the last 65 years, with the lowest being recorded in 2012 when countrywide cumulative rainfall deficiency had mounted to 31 per cent, according Private forecaster Skymet The heatwaves are expected to become severe in New Delhi and other northern cities in the coming days and the mercury is expected to breach 45 degrees Celsius. The National Capital Region along with Haryana and Punjab may get some relief due rains and thunderstorm led by western disturbances after June 11. 
 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="Usually monsoon arrives in Delhi on June 29. However, this time it is expected to be delayed by a week. It may come in the first week of July" auname="Mahesh Palawat, Director at the private forecaster Skymet."></div>





 Delhi on Wednesday recorded a maximum temperature of 44.6 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season's average. (With IANS)

Monsoon to hit Kerala tomorrow, heatwave in Northern India to last another week

<ul><li>A new white paper lists out reasons why investors should invest in fighting climate change.</li><li>Early birds will not only make big money, the investments will also limit the damage from natural disasters.</li><li>For example, investments in renewable energy alone is likely to hit $2 trillion by 2050: GMO.</li></ul>The threat of climate change is real whether one believes in it or not. The actual choice is whether you want to invest in battling hurricanes, typhoons, droughts, and wildfires or to invest in averting such tragedies in the future. Battling climate change has emerged as a sector to invest in. "We see this effort providing the backdrop for decades of secular growth in the climate change sector, along with the potential for strong returns," a recent white paper from the asset management firm GMO said. According to the authors, GMO's founder Jeremy Grantham and Lucas White, the portfolio manager for the Climate Change and Resources Strategies, investments in renewable energy alone to approach $2 trillion per year by 2050. "Transitioning to clean energy will take a tremendous amount of investment and time. Many trillions of dollars will be needed to decarbonize the economy and overhaul our energy grids," the report said. India, for instance, has pushed for more <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/2017-saw-the-largest-rise-in-renewable-energy-capacity-report/articleshow/64476812.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">investments in renewable energy</a> last couple of years. There are three reasons why it is wise to invest in companies that are working to limit the impact of climate change. Protection: On the one hand, there are tangible losses from natural disasters due to climate change that can severely damage economies and the value of investments. On the other hand, as more countries move towards sustainability, there is an additional risk of more taxes on fossil fuels and regulatory curbs to force traditional businesses to reduce carbon footprint. Investing in companies working on renewable energy can offer protection in such cases. Diversification: However, the returns in these investments will not correlated to broader economic growth and consumption. As the GMO paper puts it, "expect to see periods where a climate change strategy performs well in a weak market and vice versa." Early mover advantage: The early bird has a better chance of catching the worm. The key is to identify companies in the 'climate change sector' that are undervalued, according to GMO. "Since inception in April 2017, the earnings growth of the GMO Climate Change Strategy has been higher than the MSCI All Country World Index (ACWI) while consistently trading at a 15-20% discount to ACWI," the paper said. The MSCI ACWI "represents the <a href="https://www.msci.com/indexes" target="_self">Modern Index Strategy</a> and captures all sources of equity returns in 23 developed and 24 emerging markets." It's an index of stocks around the world whose cumulative performance reflect the way global share markets have performed in any given period of time. Hedge against inflation: When oil prices rise, clean energy becomes more competitive. "When oil spiked to $150 per barrel and coal and natural gas prices also soared. Solar and wind companies performed extremely well leading up to the peak in fossil fuel prices," according to GMO. The flip side However, when fossil fuel prices crash like they did in the years after 2015, alternative energy companies suffer too. Electric vehicle sales slump when driving petrol cars become cheaper. Moreover, GMO, clean energy relies on materials too just like the traditional energy infrastructure. Instead of oil, coal, and natural gas, clean energy companies need copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt etc. While it limits the impact of the battle against climate change, money managers invested in sustainability the exposure to these alternate materials can act as a buffer. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indiainsider/earth-day-2019-india-climate-change-progress-on-paris-agreement/slidelist/68998139.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Here's where India stands on climate change.</a>

There is big money to be made while fighting climate change

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Extreme weather events increase <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/call-for-data-on-gender-based-violence-to-be-key-to-state-strategy-10932938">gender-based violence</a> during and after disasters, a new analysis found.</li><li>Scientists say <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/climate-change-alter-human-life-un-ipcc-report-2022-2">climate change</a> is causing more severe weather events.</li></ul>Across the world, the climate crisis has fueled more severe and frequent storms, heatwaves, droughts, and other dangers. A new study shines a light on how a warming world amplifies <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gender-parity-requires-prioritizing-political-and-economic-empowerment-2022-5">existing gender inequalities.</a>The visible toll of weather disasters, such as torn-down buildings and buckled roads, "can overshadow more veiled consequences, including <keyword id="12021081" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gender" source="Orion">gender</keyword>-based violence experienced by women, girls, and sexual and gender minorities," Kim Van Daalen, a global public health expert at the University of Cambridge and lead author of a new analysis, told Insider. In the analysis, published Monday in <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(22)00088-2/fulltext">The Lancet Planetary Health</a>, researchers looked at 41 existing peer-reviewed studies and found that gender-based violence — such as sexual assault, intimate partner violence, or trafficking, both during and after disasters — appears to be a recurring theme. A growing body of research has found that climate change is causing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photo-video-europe-china-flooding-oregon-siberia-canada-wildfires-2021-7">extreme weather events</a>, including tropical storms, droughts, wildfires, and floods, to become severe and more likely to occur. In the past two decades, the frequency of floods has increased by 134%, storms by 40%, and droughts by 29%, according to the research team."When we explore the overall impacts of climate change, we see that all genders experience climate change differently," Van Daalen told Insider. "As a result of gendered social roles and responsibilities, we tend to see that globally women and girls disproportionately suffer from increased climate change risks compared to men and boys." For instance, Van Daalen said the literature suggested women were less likely to be able to adapt after a natural disaster due to financial insecurity and little institutional support.While researchers were not entirely surprised by the uptick in gender-based violence during and after extreme weather events, something they found interesting was that gender-based violence seemed to be a shared experience across the contexts they studied — from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-katrina-10-years-later-2015-8">Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans</a> to <a href="https://www.businessinsiderbd.com/national/news/22905/floods-in-5-districts-batter-over-4-lakh-people-report">floods in Bangladesh</a> to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/droughts-bad-for-us-catastrophic-for-india-2012-8">droughts in India.</a><div type="image" title="A woman hangs clothes to dry in front of her house in a flooded area due to recent monsoon rainfalls in Dhamrai on August 11, 2020." height="3279" width="4373" msid="92191684" hostid="261"></div>Extreme events may influence particular gender-based violence risks for individuals with diverse sexual and gender identities, according to researchers. "Due to their frequent marginalization, sexual and gender minorities are often more severely impacted by disasters," Van Daalen said, pointing to media reports at the time of Hurricane Katrina of a handful of religious figures blaming the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/nov/19/northernireland.hurricanes2005">New Orleans gay community</a> for the storm. Van Daalen added that the team's research found a lack of documented evidence specific to sexual and gender minorities: "Future research should consider how this vulnerable population is disproportionately impacted as well."Researchers hope the results from their analysis can be used to devise proper interventions before, during, and after disasters; some examples include providing post-disaster shelters and relief services — with their own toilets and bath areas — designed to be exclusively accessed by women, girls, and sexual or <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/words-on-race-gender-and-diversity-you-should-know-2020-7">gender minorities</a> or providing emergency response teams with training to prevent gender-based violence."By understanding the mechanisms through which extreme events may influence or affect gender-based violence, we can better inform the design and implementation of climate-resilient, context-specific, and sexual- and gender-responsive interventions that serve the needs of women, girls, and sexual and gender minorities globally," Van Daalen said. "Importantly, these interventions should be informed and, where possible, co-created by the affected communities."

Across the world, extreme weather events are fueling gender-based violence during and after disasters

<ul><li>Earlier today, India’s Prime Minister — Narendra Modi — issued a statement reiterating India’s commitment towards the welfare of the planet observing <keyword id="6453991" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Earth-Day">Earth Day</keyword>. </li><li>While global warming in India remains within the two degree Celsius mark as per the Copenhagen agreement, it’s beyond the 1.5 degree Celsius limit set by the <keyword id="3087299" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Paris-agreement">Paris Agreement</keyword>. </li><li>Between 1998 and 2017, India saw $79.5 billion (₹5.5 trillion) in economic losses due to climate change according to the United Nations. </li></ul>On Earth Day in 2016, India — along with 173 other countries — signed the Paris Agreement at the United Nations Climate Change Conference with a promise to limit the global warming temperature increase, at most, to 1.5 degrees Celsius. And, as India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, <a href="http://pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1570941">issued</a> his statement for Earth Day, it was hard not to notice that India’s already reached the two degrees Celsius mark. <div type="ExtQuote" text="Today on Earth Day, we bow in reverence to Mother Earth. For years, this great planet has been home to phenomenal diversity. Today we also reiterate our commitment to work towards the well-being of our planet, focus on sustainable development and mitigating climate change." auname="Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s, message on Earth Day"></div>

 Reaching the two degree mark isn’t the worst news since it’s still compatible with the 2009 Copenhagen goal. In fact, most countries are worse off having hit a three, four and, in some cases, even a five degrees Celsius increase in temperatures since the industrial era. <div type="image" title="climateactiontracker" msid="68998103" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;India is better off than most countries around the world with respect to its pledges and targets as per the climate change&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 In April last year, India and at least 170 other countries reiterated their commitment towards climate change in London by signing an <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/shipping-/-transport/shipping-industry-joins-effort-to-tackle-climate-change/articleshow/63779431.cms?from=mdr">agreement</a> that states that stakeholders must reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 50% from shipping by 2050, based on 2008 emission levels. India manages to <a href="https://www.germanwatch.org/en/16046">rank</a> 14th on the Global Climate Risk Index. But despite its progress, India is among the countries <a href="http://web.worldbank.org/archive/website01291/WEB/0__CO-78.HTM">most vulnerable</a> to climate change according to the World Bank. It’s no secret that India’s already facing a warming climate, witnessing a decline in monsoon rain since the 1950s. Extended droughts and incidents of unexpected heavy rainfall are also more frequent. Between 1998 and 2017, India saw $79.5 billion (₹5.5 trillion) in economic losses due to climate change <a href="https://www.unisdr.org/we/inform/publications/61119">according</a> to the United Nations. India’s been making progress but there are still reasons to worry:

Three years since the Paris Agreement, here’s where India stands on Earth Day

<ul><li>The water crisis is so severe that over 600 million people in the country are facing “high to extreme water stress”.</li><li>54% of the nation’s groundwater wells are running out and 21 major cities are likely to run out of groundwater as soon as 2020. </li><li>Approximately 200,000 Indians die every year because they don’t have access to clean water. </li></ul> If the news of constant dust storms claiming <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/dust-storm-rajasthan-uttar-pradesh-north-india-over-a-hundred-killed-5162640/">hundreds</a> of lives, or of how India harbours <a href="https://theprint.in/science/air-pollution-is-higher-in-low-income-cities-and-affect-the-poor-more/68328/" data-type="tilCustomLink">six of the 10 most polluted cities</a> in the world have you worried, brace yourself for some more bad news. India has now paved its way to an unprecedented acute water crisis. According to a report by government think-tank <keyword id="2665691" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Niti-Aayog">Niti Aayog</keyword>, the water crisis is so severe that over 600 million people in the country are facing “high to extreme water stress”. The exhaustive <a href="http://www.niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/document_publication/2018-05-18-Water-index-Report_vS6B.pdf">report</a> generated based on data drawn from 24 of India's 29 states clearly says that the “crisis is only going to get worse”. According to the report, 54% of the nation’s groundwater wells are running out and 21 major cities are likely to run out of groundwater as soon as 2020. Plus, 70% of the available water is contaminated. In fact, of 122 countries, India features at the 120th position in the water quality index. The report also states that approximately 200,000 Indians die every year because they don’t have access to clean water. Additionally, 75% of India’s households do not have drinking water on premises and 84% of rural households do not have access to piped water. And, with a surge in people moving to towns and cities, the burden on urban water resources is expected to increase. So much so that by 2030 the demand for water will be double the supply. The report’s main aim is to nudge the country’s States and Union Territories to use the limited water at their disposal in the best possible manner. And while some states have managed to improve their water management system, worryingly, the highly populous states and those that are heavily dependent on agriculture, feature quite low in the water management ranking. <keyword id="6354766" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gujarat">Gujarat</keyword> topped the list of states that managed its water resources best, followed by Madhya Pradesh and <keyword id="37102" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Andhra-Pradesh">Andhra Pradesh</keyword>. On the other hand, <keyword id="30033" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bihar">Bihar</keyword>, <keyword id="6357713" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uttar-Pradesh">Uttar Pradesh</keyword>, Haryana and Jharkhand were the worst performing states. However, one reassuring finding of this report is that some of the states that experience severe droughts in recent years have made it to the high and medium performers category in the water resource management index. These states include Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, <keyword id="68884" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Telangana">Telangana</keyword>. While the report concluded that “water management is improving across-the-board" it is perhaps prudent to make note of its rather bleak statement that a severe water crisis that will potentially affect hundreds of millions is imminent if things do not change, and fast.

India is in the midst of an acute water crisis and things could get much worse

<ul><li>The monsoon rains have finally arrived in Chennai but they aren’t enough to solve the water problem. </li><li>However, the rainfall deficit has started shrinking over the past two days because of light showers. </li><li>For the last six months, the 5 million city residents have been facing drought as monsoons played truant </li></ul>The monsoons have finally arrived to the parched city of Chennai, and <a href="https://weather.com/en-IN/india/monsoon/news/2019-07-22-rain-relief-continues-chennai-deficit-shrinks-to-7">its residents are enjoying the light showers.</a> While it is a huge relief, it is nowhere close to solving the water crisis that the city is facing. Over the next two days, these rains will remain light, according to <a href="http://www.imd.gov.in/pages/city_weather_show.php">the India Meteorological Department. </a>This year, Chennai’s rainfall deficit was around 45%, which has started shrinking. 
 <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[

]]></cdata></div>

 For the last six months, the 5 million city residents have been facing drought as monsoons played truant. Normally, Chennai would receive 140 mm of annual rainfall but this year the whole state recorded a deficit of 28% since June 1. The monsoon, that is supposed to begin from June 1, and was later like it was across the country. Four years back, the city was flooded due to cyclones in the Bay of Bengal. As many as 500 died and 1.8 million people had to move. In 2019, however the city had the problem which is just the opposite. The city went without rain for 200 days this year. <div type="twitter" handle="blkahn" handlename="Brian Kahn" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1105108878683975682/pprDXs0O_normal.png" favoritecount="10057" retweetcount="8888" status="The timelapse imagery of Chennai's disappearing reservoirs is mind boggling. That's roughly 3 billion cubic feet of… https://t.co/ARZQpVdxr2" createdat="1561153731000" id="1142187650499121152"></div>
 The Price of Water As the city’s reservoirs dried up, water became an expensive commodity. So much so, that its more expensive than petrol. Residents are reportedly paying ₹80-100 for a 20 litre drinking water can, nearly ₹4 more than the price of petrol. Those few who could afford, <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/chennai-news/chennai-water-crisis-from-rs-2-000-to-rs-4-500-the-price-chennai-residents-pay-for-water-2067372">even paid</a> ₹75,000 for a month, to get a water tanker right to their homes. The local authorities are bringing water into the city via <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-first-special-train-carrying-more-than-2-million-litre-of-water-reaches-chennai/articleshow/70192058.cms">a special train, and distributing it.</a> Chennai Metro Water also started providing water at ₹700 for every 9000 litres. However, to avail of this, many of them wait for as long as three to four weeks to receive the supply. Ultimately, they would have no choice but to pay up or remain thirsty.

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