The Real News Network
India’s climate disasters are fueled by its governments’ resource mismanagement and fossil fuel consumption, says political economist Shouvik Chakraborty
GREG WILPERT It’s The Real News Network and I’m Greg Wilpert in Baltimore. A massive heat wave and drought are devastating India at the moment. Chennai, the country’s sixth largest city, whose greater metropolitan area is home to nearly 10 million people, has almost run out of water. The city’s drought is so intense that it can be seen from satellites in space. This water crisis has been accompanied by India’s second longest heatwave on record, and according to the government, has killed at least 36 people. Other sources say that nearly 200 have died from the heat so far. Joining me now to talk about this heatwave and what India can do to address these issues is Shouvik Chakraborty. He is an Assistant Research Professor at the Political Economy Research Institute at UMass-Amherst. Thanks for joining us today.