Are We Ready to Face the Heat?

While exploring Jaipur on the sidelines of the JLF, Jeff Goodell noted the use of courtyards, carved lattices and water fountains in Indian architecture to maintain cool temperatures. (Photograph courtesy Jeff Goodell)

Jeff Goodell is not an alarmist, but he wants you to know that now is the time for action against climate change and global warming. He shared his perspective as a panelist in the session “Scorched Earth: Lessons from Nature,” which focused on climate change and was sponsored by the U.S. Embassy New Delhi at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) 2024.

Goodell, whose latest book is “The Heat Will Kill You,” has been at the forefront of environmental journalism for about 25 years. “Until recently, I never really gave much thought to heat, which sounds like a very strange thing to say because we all know that heat is not a hidden phenomenon,” he says.

During the JLF session, Goodell shared a pivotal moment from his own life: on a scorching day in Phoenix, Arizona, he missed his cab and had to run about 20 blocks for a meeting. “At the end of the 20 blocks, my heart was pounding,” recalls Goodell. “I was dizzy and realized that if I had to go another 20 blocks, I would be in big trouble. It was the first time that it really occurred to me that heat is not just some abstract concept in our atmosphere, but that it can actually kill you very quickly. And that was the beginning of this book for me.”

During the session, Goodell said that in his book, he “wanted to talk about how climate change is so often talked about as something that’s distant and affecting future generations, perhaps people different from ourselves, maybe with different skin color, in faraway places. I really wanted to talk about it in an intimate way, highlighting how it can have immediate consequences, like when you are out for a walk on the wrong day and you don’t know how to respond.”

Interactions at the JLF, says Goodell, were “refreshing” and forward-looking. “People were deeply engaged and eager to discuss actionable solutions,” he shares. “There was a lot of talk about reducing emissions, the transition to clean energy, and India’s commitments to getting half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2070, whether those are real targets or not, etc.”

The need to address heat

“India is one of the places where the risks of extreme heat are most dangerous,” says Goodell. “When you think about the future temperature projections that could lead to extreme heat waves, that would be very deadly. So, India is sort of right in the bull’s-eye when you think about extreme heat and about a rapidly growing population.”

Air conditioning, on the other hand, says Goodell, has its downsides. “While it can save lives and is an important technology, it also requires more energy,” he says. “If that energy comes from fossil fuels, like coal, it just continues the cycle of burning them.”

Air conditioners are heavy on energy consumption and use hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which contribute to the emission of greenhouse gasses, one of the primary causes of climate change. However, air conditioners are also essential in fighting heat stress, especially as heat waves become more intense, leading to an increase in heat-related deaths decade after decade.

“As the heat situation develops,” says Goodell, “the West will need to do everything it can to help India accelerate the transition to clean energy, especially do a better job of insulating houses, and think differently about incorporating green spaces into growing cities.”

Adapting to climate change

Goodell believes ancient Indian architecture can teach a lot about ventilation systems to keep buildings cool. While exploring Jaipur on the sidelines of the JLF, Goodell came across ancient structures designed to use courtyards and water fountains to maintain cool temperatures. “People in India 500 years ago knew very well how to deal with the heat,” he says, “and I think bringing some of that knowledge back and rediscovering those ideas that offer natural cooling solutions are really important.”

Ancient architectural marvels like the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Hawa Mahal in Jaipur use carved lattices, called jalis, to allow ventilation, light and a gentle breeze to keep the interiors of these stone buildings cool.

According to Goodell, as global temperatures soar, Arctic ice caps melt and warmer waters become breeding grounds for new kinds of bacteria, we must consider ways to adapt to the changing climate. Workers who spend long hours under the sun or cannot afford cooling units can use inexpensive solutions like white roofs that deflect the sun and heat.

Humanitarian measures like restricting workers from spending long hours under the sun on extremely hot days, while also paying their wages, can help save lives and families. “There’s a lot that one can do that is not terribly expensive to reduce the risk of death from heat,” says Goodell.

Soaring temperatures might also lead to more intense rainstorms. “It’s time to begin thinking about how to prepare and adapt to intense rainfall,” explains Goodell. “That means increasing storm drainage. There’s a lot of concrete and not a lot of places for water to be absorbed naturally in the soil. Countries are making things like ‘sponge parks’ that are green spaces built to absorb large quantities of water.”

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