This week’s Group of 20 Summit in New Delhi, where climate change is expected to be one of the top topics on the agenda, will bring together world leaders, including US President Joe Biden.
The recent sweltering heat in the nation’s capital may have a positive impact on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to advance international problems like climate change. The warmest September day in 85 years occurred on Monday in Delhi, when the maximum temperature was 40.1 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
The world has experienced extreme weather this year, from flash floods to wildfires that have caused fatalities, collapsed electrical lines, and damaged houses and highways. With ocean temperatures reaching new highs for a third consecutive month, the world saw its hottest June on land and at sea.
This week’s G-20 meeting will be held in the capital of India New Delhi and will bring together around 30 world leaders, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a major member of the OPEC+ oil producing group.
Other parts of India are also seeing a rise in the mercury – higher than usual for this time of the year – boosting demand for electricity from households, farmers and industries. Temperatures normally peak in May and gradually fall with rolling monsoon, but the driest August in more than a century pushed average maximum temperatures for the month to the highest since 1901.
There is a hint of immediate respite for Delhi. Some parts of the city may get isolated rains in the coming days, followed by another dry patch for five days through Sept. 11, according to the India Meteorological Department.
The G20 Heads of State and Government Summit, which will be held in New Delhi on September 9–10, will include the world’s most powerful leaders.
The summit, which marks the culmination of Indai’s one-year G20 presidency, will end with the adoption of a G20 Leaders’ Declaration.