Heat Rising: South Asia’s Climate Emergency

The World Bank’s latest report, titled “From Risk to Resilience: Helping People and Firms Adapt in South Asia”, paints a grim picture of the climate crisis unfolding across South Asia, with India at the epicentre of its most devastating impacts. By 2030, nearly 90% of the region’s population will face extreme heat, a consequence of rising global temperatures and erratic weather patterns. For India, this projection is particularly alarming, given its dense population, agrarian economy, and already vulnerable communities. The implications are far-reaching, threatening not just public health but also food security, economic stability, and social cohesion.

Extreme heat will exacerbate existing inequalities, hitting the poorest the hardest. Daily wage labourers, farmers, and urban slum dwellers, who lack access to cooling infrastructure, will bear the brunt of soaring temperatures. Heatwaves, already more frequent and intense, could lead to a surge in heat-related illnesses and fatalities, overwhelming India’s healthcare systems. Cities, where concrete landscapes trap heat, will become “urban heat islands,” making life unbearable for millions. The report warns that productivity losses due to heat stress could shave off significant percentages from India’s GDP, crippling growth just as the nation aspires to become an economic powerhouse.

Agriculture, the backbone of India’s rural economy, faces an existential threat. Erratic monsoons and prolonged droughts will disrupt crop cycles, reducing yields of staples like wheat and rice. This could trigger food shortages, price volatility, and heightened farmer distress, fuelling rural-urban migration and social unrest. Meanwhile, water scarcity will intensify, with groundwater depletion and erratic rainfall patterns leaving vast regions parched. States like Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, already grappling with water crises, may see conflicts over resources escalate.

The report underscores the urgent need for adaptive measures, but India’s response remains fragmented. While initiatives like the National Action Plan on Climate Change exist, implementation is uneven, and funding is inadequate. Urban planning must prioritise green spaces and heat-resistant infrastructure, while agriculture requires a shift to climate-resilient crops and efficient water management. Renewable energy investments can mitigate emissions, but transitioning from coal, a major energy source, poses economic and political challenges.

Beyond national efforts, global cooperation is critical. Even developed nations like the US struggle with climate disasters, from wildfires to hurricanes, yet political divides hinder cohesive policy action, exposing global vulnerabilities. Wealthier nations, historically the largest carbon emitters, must honour climate finance commitments to help vulnerable regions adapt. For India, the crisis is both a warning and an opportunity to rethink development models, prioritise sustainability, and lead the Global South in climate innovation. Without urgent action, India’s future will be defined by heat, hardship, and unfulfilled potential. The time to act is now, before the rising temperatures leave no room for recourse.

 

 Tensions Ease: India-China Relations Thaw

Nearly five years after the violent confrontation on June 15, 2020, at Galwan along the India-China frontier—where India mourned the loss of 20 troops and China acknowledged its own casualties—Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened on October 23, 2024, during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. This encounter marked a deliberate effort to mend a strained bilateral relationship. While the summit allowed Russia to demonstrate its global relevance, the Xi-Modi dialogue captured widespread interest due to the icy ties following the Himalayan border clash.

The rendezvous followed exhaustive negotiations that gradually eased tensions. Their previous meeting occurred in Chennai, India, in 2019, before the COVID-19 crisis deepened mistrust. Many blamed China for either sparking the pandemic or withholding critical early data, severing communication channels between New Delhi and Beijing. The 2020 Galwan skirmish intensified hostilities, prompting India to ban Chinese apps like TikTok, block Chinese investments, and exclude China from its 5G trials. Although direct flights resumed after a five-year hiatus, visa restrictions on Chinese businesspeople persist.

India countered China’s border infrastructure build-up by accelerating its own projects—constructing durable roads, bridges, and tunnels—while bolstering defences and deepening ties with the West, especially the United States. New Delhi insisted that peace along the border was essential for improved relations, accusing Beijing of undermining trust through violations. Beijing, however, urged a broader, strategic view of ties, suggesting normalcy despite unresolved border issues—a stance India saw as sidestepping accountability. After 17 diplomatic sessions, 21 military talks, and political efforts before the BRICS summit, an October 20 agreement paved the way for the leaders’ meeting.

India remained tight-lipped about the bilateral until Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced on October 21 a patrolling accord along the Line of Actual Control, resolving post-clash disputes. The subsequent Xi-Modi talks reflected pragmatic necessity: two nuclear-armed neighbours with a 3,488-km contested border cannot afford prolonged silence. Beyond security, their relationship spans trade, cultural ties, and a shared anti-colonial legacy, complicated by global alignments—India balancing BRICS partners Russia and China against Western overtures.

Disengagement at Depsang and Demchok, the final friction points in eastern Ladakh, concluded recently, with both sides dismantling structures erected since April 2020 and initiating verification patrols. A key outcome was the revival of the Special Representative Talks on border resolution, which had been dormant since 2019. China seeks economic access to India’s market, but trust deficits and India’s U.S. alignment hinder progress. As BRICS gains prominence, countering Western influence, the Xi-Modi meeting underscores a delicate dance of rivalry and cooperation amid a shifting geopolitical landscape.

 Lunar Ambitions: NASA's Artemis II Milestone

NASA achieved a significant milestone on March 25, 2025, at its Florida spaceport, where technicians successfully joined the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s core stage with its solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission. Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Exploration Ground Systems Program, alongside contractor Amentum, utilised one of five overhead cranes to hoist the 212-foot core stage into position. This towering component, the rocket’s structural backbone, was lifted from the transfer aisle to High Bay 3 and secured between booster segments atop the launch tower. The core stage will eventually support the launch vehicle stage adapter, interim cryogenic propulsion stage, Orion stage adapter, and Orion spacecraft, with the adapter’s integration slated for the coming weeks. This success marks a tangible step toward launching Artemis II, a 10-day crewed mission to orbit the Moon, targeted for as early as February 2026 and no later than April of that year. 

Artemis II will carry astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a historic flight—the first crewed lunar mission since 1972 and the farthest humans will have travelled in over five decades. Notably, Koch was once poised to become the first woman on the Moon under Artemis III, now scheduled for mid-2027. However, plans have shifted. Initially, Artemis III promised a lunar landing with Koch potentially making history as the first woman to step onto the lunar surface. Delays and technical challenges, particularly with SpaceX’s Starship—slated to ferry astronauts to the Moon’s surface—have cast doubt on this timeline. Starship’s recent test flights ended in explosions shortly after launch, raising concerns about its readiness. Consequently, NASA has adjusted its ambitions, prioritising Artemis II’s orbital test over an immediate landing, pushing the goal of landing the first woman, likely Koch, to a later mission.
 

Globally, NASA’s Artemis program operates amid a renewed lunar race. China aims to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030, while Russia and India also pursue ambitious lunar exploration plans. NASA’s strategy emphasises sustainability, aiming to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon as a stepping stone to Mars. Collaborations with private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin underscore this vision, though setbacks have tempered optimism. Artemis II’s upcoming flight will not only validate deep space systems but also signal NASA’s intent to lead in this competitive landscape. For Koch and Glover, the mission represents a breakthrough, marking the first woman and person of colour to reach deep space—yet the dream of a woman’s lunar footprint remains deferred, tethered to the pace of technological progress and international rivalry.