Farmers have repeatedly protested over grievances tied to global warming, a major political and economic test given the importance of India’s rural economy.
India, the world’s most populous country, faces significant climate hazards, with global warming exacerbating heat and floods that impact its largely vulnerable population of 1.4 billion people.
Early election results indicate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party is likely to win the most seats in Parliament but may need to form a coalition government, which will face major climate change challenges.
The recent election took place amid a severe heat wave, resulting in at least 33 heat-related deaths, prompting calls to reschedule future elections to avoid extreme summer temperatures.
The Election Commission set up a task force to monitor weather conditions and issued heat precautions, but climate change is making traditional summer election scheduling increasingly dangerous, as evidenced by record-breaking temperatures in Delhi.
