Climate change is costing millions hours of sleep every year. Here's why | Climate Economy

[00:00:00]Hello and welcome to the climate economy from the Hindu. I am Kunal Shankr. On this episode we are going to talk about something that climate change is quietly stealing from millions of people around the world every single night and that is sleep. For years we have spoken about rising temperatures, melting glaciers, droughts and floods. But climate change is increasingly affecting something far more fundamental. our ability to sleep.

[00:00:29]Now, a new global analysis by Climate Central titled Climate Change is costing people sleep has arrived at a sobering conclusion. Drawing upon decades of sleep research and temperature observations from 1,338 cities worldwide, it estimates that hotter nights caused people to lose nearly 56 hours of sleep every year between 2020 and 2025, about 5 years, with around six of those hours directly attributable to climate change. That may not sound like much, but spread across millions of people over years, those lost hours translate into poorer health, lower productivity, reduced cognitive performance, and growing economic costs.

[00:01:15]India specific findings report that cities across particularly South India and Southeast Asia lose among the highest number of sleep hours globally because of increasingly hot nights.

[00:01:27]Southern Indian cities lose around 78 to 91 hours of sleep every year because of high nighttime temperatures. Of these about 8 to n hours annually are directly attributable to climate change. Now climate linked sleep loss has at least doubled since the early 1970s in almost every city. The study finds globally lower inome countries suffer disproportionately because access to cooling is far lower and women older people and those already living in hot climates are particularly vulnerable.

[00:02:03]Poor sleep has wellestablished links with mood, cardiovascular health, immunity, productivity and cognitive performance. Well, this discussion comes at a remarkable time. Europe, officially the fastest warming continent, has endured another extraordinary summer.

[00:02:22]Over the past month, France experienced its hottest national day since records began with a national average temperature of 29.8° C, while several western cities exceeded 43° C. Parts of southern Spain touched 44°.

[00:02:41]Britain's heat repeatedly crossed 34 to 35 degrees C in parts of England, triggering health alerts and school closure during the June heat wave. WH Europe estimates that thousands of excess deaths have already been associated with this summer's heat waves. At the same time, Western Europe is battling one of its worst wildfire seasons. Recent examples include more than 12,000 hectares burnt in Aragon, Spain. Major fires in Almria. Ongoing wildfire alerts across Spain, France, and Greece. According to the IEA, the International Energy Agency, only about one in five households across European Union has air conditioning. Household ownership is estimated at roughly about 5% in the United Kingdom, even lower at 3 to 4% in Germany, 20 to 25% in France, and a little bit over at 40 to 45% in Spain. By comparison, household air conditioning penetration exceeds 90% both in the United States and Japan.

[00:03:43]Well, in India, meanwhile, sits at the other end of the spectrum. Although one of the world's hottest large economies, only about 5% of Indian households owned an air conditioner as recently as 2008, according to the IEA. That means access to cooling remains far below that of advanced economies even as India's exposure to dangerous heat is much greater. Yet in an interesting twist, India has also emerged as one of the first countries to recognize cooling not as a luxury but as a development and public health necessity. In 2019, we have discussed this on the program. The government launched the IAAP or the India cooling action plan, one of the world's first comprehensive national cooling strategies. Rather than looking only at air conditioners, IAP takes a 20-year view of how India can deliver sustainable thermal comfort across homes, hospitals, cold chains, transport, and industry while simultaneously reducing cooling demand, improving energy efficiency, lowering refrigerant use, and expanding access to affordable cooling. The plan has since been cited internationally as a pioneering framework for sustainable cooling and has helped shape discussions in other countries grappling with rising temperatures. Well, whether IAP ultimately achieves all its ambitious goals remains to be seen and its outcomes are still being evaluated. Now well to discuss this fascinating intersection of climate science, public health and econ economics I'm joined by my colleague and the Hindus health editor Rama Karnan also the host of the health rap which I strongly recommend that you watch if you haven't started watching already. Well, Rama, thank you so much for, you know, coming on to the climate economy and uh as I've just been mentioning, you know, it is very clear that the that cooling is not just anymore a luxury. It's really a developmental and a health perspective.

[00:05:39]And you are right. You know, you've been discussing this on your show. And so I I sort of like wanted to maybe touch upon this and maybe ask you to in you know, tell us more about these findings and what this tell us.

[00:05:52]>> Right. Thank you so much uh Kunal for having me on the climate economy and for those kind words about the health rap.

[00:05:58]In [clears throat] fact, we've discussed this uh on the health wrap as well coming out this Sunday. Um but um you know we shot uh a day ahead of this uh report but >> um the basic message is that uh I think uh from a health perspective is that we cannot any longer look at climate change as an isolated issue. We've uh been talking about one health and integrating both environmental health, animal health and human health into one large framework with multiple departments working in tandem in order to push um you know more habitable and sustainable environments right >> and [snorts] I think while we are talking um you know about one health the in in practice we are still working in silos >> in silos. So that is the reason why you know um heat is hitting us so bad.

[00:06:53]>> I mean talk about Chennai where we live you know this summer has been particularly brutal >> right >> and uh you know after we can all relate to it.

[00:07:02]>> Absolutely. I mean so this is a subject that every single person at least in this part of the country or in any part of the world today can relate to and as a consequence I think the um you know there is an urgency towards attending to this issue [snorts] not just as climate change >> but from the overarching uh you know viewpoint that there are multiple factors that are rolled into this >> right >> and I think uh the whole point about sleep is uh cannot be better made. Uh you know you look at research that and this is something that you know we can relate to as well.

[00:07:43]>> A colleague when we were walking to the studio just said like he literally sleeps here because he's not able to sleep at night. I mean it's that that basic.

[00:07:51]>> Yeah it is. And you know waking up sweating into the night. So, so when when we talk about how uh stress impacts the human body, it can be acute stress which is like a heat stroke or um you know any extreme event that is noticed and maybe handled tackled at a hospital or a healthcare setup. But there's also this constant low you know low hum of heat stress >> that we are all you know taking on without without knowledge because every day um you know heat impacts the body in multiple ways in ways that we cannot imagine or even list. I was going to come to that because you know most of us think of you know when we lack sleep the previous night we come back a little tired we yawn a few times we maybe we just like have an energy drink now and then we have a cold shower to like just get ourselves a little active and then we think okay let's just get on with the day but the insidious ways in which it affects us maybe you know tell us about that the the the whole link between for instance as I was saying about this study There's cardiovascular effects.

[00:09:02]There's there's mental health effects.

[00:09:04]And I don't think we have really understood all of this.

[00:09:06]>> No, I don't think we've understood heat at all.

[00:09:09]>> Because in in the tropics, we've grown up thinking it's going to be hot. Every summer we complain that's been hotter than the last summer, but we don't actually sit down and think about how heat is affecting us. So if you take the vulnerable populations which you mentioned earlier in your intro which you you look at pregnant women, you look at children, you look at um senior citizens, people working out of doors uh and you look at migrant populations, >> the heat impact is greater one because of exposure and two because of the vulnerabilities that they possess already.

[00:09:43]>> They don't have like like I said 5% like >> that's hardly anything. They can't afford to have air conditioners in their homes. Absolutely. So um heat is handle heat again is you know very iniquitous.

[00:09:56]>> So um you will be better prepared to handle heat if you have the resources the tools for cooling down right.

[00:10:03]>> If you don't have those tools for cooling down then um you know it's you're doubly triply uh compromised as far as heat stress goes.

[00:10:13]>> So this impacts on every on the gut on the brain on the heart sweating. Right.

[00:10:18]>> We also have something called the wet bulb temperature considering we are on the coast. So the relative humidity of the area also has a huge impact on how heat affects us.

[00:10:27]>> Right. Yeah.

[00:10:28]>> And that's maybe to our viewers what does what does wet bulb u uh temperature do?

[00:10:34]>> So wet bulb uh is merely accounting for humidity while regular forecasts account for the heat in terms of temperature.

[00:10:43]wet bulb accounts for humidity >> in the in the in the >> in and the temperature together and that will give you a sense of how it affects people dayto-day on a day-to-day uh so um it is it is something that uh I think why I say that governments need to be involved is one is because it's one health and it has to be a collaborative effort >> two is if you look at the scale of things I think it's only the state when the state gets involved as uh you know uh >> it cannot be left to the private sector to individuals. Yeah, it's too it's too big a public health issue really today and we really need to recognize that as a as a and as you said it is it's really a health public health issue and the and the state really needs to be involved and coming back to your point about inequality and I I think that is really where you're coming to where where the state's intervention is is absolutely necessary. maybe talk us talk to us a little bit about you know what one the state can do to ensure that people who can't afford cooling or thermal comfort in general uh can do uh and you know maybe give us a couple of examples if if there are if there's an India or globally >> right >> uh Kunal that's um you know that's why I keep hopping on the state's role because if you were to reach vulnerable communities and ensure that they have access to uh cooling mechanisms then it it is only going to happen through state policy, central policy. So that is why it's important. But there are a few examples particularly I mean I would like to talk about Tamil Nadu. It's been a little on the forefront. It's um it has a climate uh company. That's right.

[00:12:27]>> It uh it is it has been very environmentally conscious.

[00:12:32]>> Um >> even in this election actually we had all all the for once we had every party have a substantial Absolutely.

[00:12:39]substantial. Yes, >> that comes from what has gone in the past, right? It is uh it has been rather let me put it that way um subject of importance to the state.

[00:12:49]>> To the state. Yes.

[00:12:50]>> So one example I'd like to it's very uh so we are looking at lowcost alternatives basically which is what will work if you're rolling out at community level.

[00:13:00]>> So one example that worked in Tamil Nadu was cool roofs. um you know it was taken up as a pilot project and the school was given this coat of paint >> right >> um and it was followed up over a period of time and prospectively they found that there was a significant decline in the ambient temperature in the school >> right >> and that they also tied it up with better attendance better performance of students so a small you know it's just painting the roof which is >> right >> which is affordable if you're doing it as a community project >> right >> not just the state the panchayat union can decide to do it the uh corporation local municipality can uh do it or even the community can join even if it's a village can join together just to paint the roofs right >> and of course we we >> it's a fascinating second order effect like you said >> school attendance gets better >> absolutely so the the impact so we don't realize how much heat is affecting us until we see the reversals with some kind of interventions >> yeah Yeah.

[00:14:03]>> So that is one uh thing that's happening.

[00:14:05]>> Yes.

[00:14:05]>> The other thing and I'll take this liberty because we are in Tamil Nadu.

[00:14:09]The Hindus based out of Chennai and all that.

[00:14:11]>> Absolutely.

[00:14:12]>> The cool pods that the uh the previous state government has established across Chennai. This is mainly for you know um gig workers to take rest of charge but to remain in an atmosphere that has been air conditioned or is you know much lower than the ambient temperature in that area.

[00:14:34]>> So this might seem like a little recharge. No it's it's a recharge. is a complete recharge >> and this uh you know this should be replicated because there are gig workers everywhere and they are most vulnerable because they are out in that's that's the nature of their job they're out in the sun yes >> you know fing supplies and I think more initiatives you know I mean not necessarily you know cold water or you know air condition but >> yes >> you know small little resting rooms for them in order for them to recharge physically and mentally Yes, >> you know, a glass of cool water, even, you know, hot water. I'm not saying bring in a fridge, >> but these are initiatives that will really help at a day-to-day angle and also to some extent address the inequalities that climate change brings.

[00:15:26]>> Absolutely. And this might actually go also for construction workers, you know, and this is really interesting because what you're trying to say is >> heat stress is going to h is going to force us actually to codify certain labor conditions, >> right, >> into certain, you know, into certain categories of work which where uh those populations like like gig workers, like construction workers, like uh um conservancy workers who are going to have to be out in the open, they are going to have to have a new set of intervals, a new set of requirements for them to sort of take thermal comfort and then come back and be able to uh work or you know maybe they they need to be provided with clothes which are probably better uh uh to you know so all this and only if there is a sort of state intervention which is really baked into the system and and which should probably allow the private sector to sort of emulate absolutely >> and and um bring into uh their working conditions as Well, >> yeah. Right.

[00:16:28]>> That that's that's very key uh to the to how we look at the future itself because climate change is here to stay. It's not going to be wished away.

[00:16:36]>> It cannot be you know uh you know it might be out of the head of uh you know whimsical leadersh.

[00:16:43]>> That's right.

[00:16:43]>> But it is real and it is here to stay and it is affecting us every single day.

[00:16:48]Every day.

[00:16:49]>> Um one of the aspects again I bring Tamil Nadu in. Yeah. um with uh I'm not apologizing for it but um Tamil Nadu has declared uh heat as a state level disaster >> right >> which means that you are entitled to one compensation >> two you are entitled to cooling um tools like say buttermilk during the day >> right >> or cool water during the day or an ability to fill your bottle >> as you go about your work during the day.

[00:17:20]>> Yes. So this right to compensation if you are not provided this is a very very you know it's a farsighted you know intervention >> looking at it from a right space >> perspective. Exactly. And it comes and it that is what will give our uh you know our labor >> the way we approach labor today a big overhaul and unless that is done right we are not going to be able to tackle this problem at a at so we can tackle at a molecular level we can tackle it at a household level we can probably tackle it at a community level >> yes >> but for it to become uh you know widespread and for it to >> scale absolely Absolutely. At scale it will have to be implemented >> through state inter state level intervention >> where these silos are brought down as absolutely between department.

[00:18:10]Absolutely.

[00:18:11]>> Well, thank you Rama for joining us uh you know and giving us those insights and that's all we have on this episode the climate economy. If you like this video and would like to hear more about how climate change is reshaping our economies do hit the bell icon on the Hindus YouTube channel. You can also write to us or better still send us a short video recording of your questions at the climate economy at thehindu.co.in and we'll do our best to feature them and to get them answered. Bye for now.