Now Reading: World Bank warns extreme heat could shrink South Asia’s GDP 7% by 2050
-
01
World Bank warns extreme heat could shrink South Asia’s GDP 7% by 2050
World Bank warns extreme heat could shrink South Asia’s GDP 7% by 2050
Extreme heat could shrink South Asia's GDP by nearly 7% by 2050 if urgent adaptation measures are not taken, the World Bank said in a new report. The region already loses the…
The Story in Brief
Extreme heat could shrink South Asia's GDP by nearly 7% by 2050 if urgent adaptation measures are not taken, the World Bank said in a new report. The region already loses the equivalent of 31 million full-time jobs every year to heat-related productivity loss. The report, 'A Livable Future', warns that rising temperatures threaten long-term economic growth and employment, especially as 280 million people will join the working-age population by 2050. It notes that 70% of the urban infrastructure India needs by mid-century is yet to be built, offering a window to build heat-resilient cities.
The Indian Opinion
The lazy narrative around Viksit Bharat 2047 is that it rests entirely on political will and investment plans. The World Bank report reminds us that climate is the uninvited third player. Neither boosterism nor fatalism helps. The report's key number to watch is the 3.7 million cooling-sector jobs India could create by 2040, that test will settle whether adaptation is rhetoric or reality.
Sources (2): livemint.com, thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
