What happens when climate change hits home?

For the last two weeks, everyone in my house was down with a viral infection. It was intense – fever, body pain, cold and headache. The last one stayed and don’t want to leave, for some reason. Stubborn and painful!

Every few hours, I would apply pain balm on my forehead hoping for it to come down. And at times, I would be furious as well - Why? Why is this happening so often now? Is it just me? Or is it the same for others?

Or… is something around us changing?

Until early February, Chennai felt a little cold. It was quite unlikely but was good. The temperature was below 28°C. And then suddenly, almost without warning, it jumped to 35°C. That shift didn’t happen gradually. It was abrupt. Sharp.

Does this have something to do with my headache? I did some research and it turned out - YES.

Research study by Yang et al. (Temporal Associations between Weather and Headache) says that sudden temperature shifts act as a physical trigger that can increase a mild, post-viral ache into a stubborn migraine. Furthermore, Akgün and colleagues (The effect of weather variables on the severity, duration, and frequency of headache attacks...) found that the exact conditions accompanying Chennai's abrupt heatwave, like intense UV exposure and shifting winds, are the primary culprits for severe tension attacks.

In plain language, more heat puts more stress on the body which in turn causes more headaches, infections, fatigue. So its clear now!

Global warming and climate change affects us intensely. Headache is one such example. But what are we going to do about it.

Before we talk about the solutions, we need to look at how earth’s temperature has changed over the years. According to Berkeley Earth, a non-profit independent research organisation that provides open-source data, the global average temperature has increased to 1.44°C above pre-industrial times. It also says that land surface areas are heating up even faster, crossing over 2°C. The last three years has been the hottest in the history, 2025 standing at third spot behind 2024 and 2023.

Global average temperature for the past 75 years - Berkeley Earth

While this is a global scenario, the Indian version is not so different. According to the monthly report released by Indian Meteorological Department (Feb 2026), temperatures across much of the country spiked 3°C to 5°C above normal, basically erasing our spring season. In Tamil Nadu, cities (Erode) were already recording sweltering temperatures of 37°C even before summer has truly begun.

It all makes sense now. The unnatural heat and the resultant headache are just symptoms. The disease is Global warming! Climate change is no longer a distant threat, it’s happening now. For all these years, the poster child of climate change is the lone polar bear standing uncomfortably on the melting ice. Powerful picture indeed. I think it’s time we need to develop something similar to convey the fact that climate change is affecting us. The people. Right here in India. Right here in Chennai. 

Alright, let’s keep that for later. Now the real question is – what are we going to do about this?

Recently, I saw this interesting discussion between two economists – Prof. Jason Hickeland Prof. Sam Fankhauser. While Prof. Jason Hickel is a strong advocate for ‘Degrowth’ model, which is about revamping our entire system, Prof Sam Fankhauster believes in fixing the system and focus on expansion through a ‘green growth’ approach.

What is Green Growth?

It is about focusing on development and human progress without carbon emissions. It’s simple. Just replace fossil fuels with clean energy solutions like solar, wind, etc., all the while focusing on one thing and one thing only – getting rich. Prof. Fankhauser argues that we don’t need to slam the brakes on capitalism, because getting rich is important to pull people out of poverty and improve their standard of living.

Yes. You read it right. He is saying that capitalism is good if planned well.

While it might sound weird, it is actually working for several countries. If you look at recent climate report, since the Paris Agreement in 2015, major economies like the US, the UK, and France have successfully managed to grow their wealth while absolutely cutting their total carbon footprints.

If you look at the graph above, you can clearly see that GDP is rising in these countries while there is a steady decline in their CO2 emissions. For countries like the US, UK, and France, emissions have come down drastically. Of course, they are rich and, hence, can afford to invest heavily into renewable energy.

But for countries like India and China, which are growing rapidly, the story is a bit different. We are aggressively adding solar and wind, but because our economy is expanding so fast to pull millions out of poverty, our overall emissions are still climbing.

So, a few questions for us to reflect

• If we secure enough climate finance, can we actually focus on expanding our economy while reducing our carbon emissions at the exact same time?
• Is climate finance a good focus point to save us from climate change?
• And realistically, how long will it take for giants like India and China to reach that point?
• Most importantly, while we chase this 'green growth,' what is the actual cost to our health and the true well-being of our country?

Then I listened to Prof. Jason Hickel, and he made some good points.

He pointed out the terrifying math behind Green Growth. Yes, a few countries are managing to get richer while cutting their emissions, but it is clearly not helping to keep the planet from overheating. Look at the graph below, the Green Growth model (investing heavily in solar, wind, and EVs) has successfully bent the curve down from a catastrophic 4°C or 5°C warming. However, the graph also clearly shows that our current trajectory is stalling around 2.6°C to 3°C. It is completely failing to get us down to the safe 1.5°C target.

Where are we heading? - Global average temperature projections by Climate Action Tracker

What is Degrowth?

This is where the Degrowth model comes in, and its about slowing down.

What if we slow down and what does it mean for us and the planet?

Hickel argues that instead of focusing on the full-on growth with greening mindset, developed countries can consciously slow down. This paper post-growth: thescience of wellbeing within planetary boundaries published in The Lancet Planetary Health in 2025 supports his argument. The researchers found that after a point, this endless GDP growth affects human well-being and increases pollution and ecological breakdown.

Degrowth isn't about stopping everything and going back to the Stone Age. It means producing only what we absolutely need. We can live without fast fashion products, massive SUVs, and cheap electronics. But here is the most important part - this isn't about blaming individuals insisting them to buy less. This is about systemic change. The governments and policymakers should deliberately cut down this massive, unnecessary production at the source, which would drastically reduce our global energy demand. The Lancet review emphasizes that we need to shift our ultimate goal away from a constantly rising GDP, and focus instead on what actually matters: universal public services, a good work-life balance, and human health.

It was interesting listening to both approaches. While Green Growth is straightforward and it's all about political will on this alternative energy transition, the Degrowth approach is about deeply thinking about our production system, slowing it down, and prioritising the well-being of the people.

However, in both cases, finance plays a vital role. It’s the richer and developed countries that need to support low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with the necessary funding for this energy transition in terms of the Green Growth model. Also, in terms of Degrowth, it's them who need to slow down and give LMICs the opportunity to grow simultaneously, ensuring equitable growth. So the questions for us to think is

Can we grow differently? Or do we need to rethink growth itself?

Note - As I finish writing this, the lingering heaviness in my head was suddenly interrupted by a massive, noisy thunderstorm that turned my house dark at 12 noon (June 6, 2026). Oh great. The scorching heat has cooled down but what does it mean for my body and headache 😕😒