Topic: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation
Q5. Discuss how extreme heat can alter India’s employment structure through job losses, distress migration and informalisation. Analyse the risks for human capital. Propose a strategy for climate-resilient livelihoods. (15 M)
Difficulty Level: Medium
Reference: DTE
Why the question
Extreme heat is emerging as a structural economic and labour-market shock in India, with direct consequences for employment, migration, informality and long-term productivity.Key Demand of the question
The question requires explaining how heat stress can reshape India’s employment structure through job losses, distress migration and informalisation, and then analysing how this undermines human capital. Finally, it asks for a practical, multi-sector strategy to build climate-resilient livelihoods.Structure of the Answer:
Introduction
Begin with a hook on heat waves as the “new normal” and mention India’s high share of heat-exposed informal work, linking it to productivity and livelihood risks.Body
- Employment restructuring: Indicate how heat reduces safe work hours, increases job losses in outdoor sectors, drives distress migration, and deepens informalisation.
- Human capital risks: Indicate health impacts, learning disruption, nutrition stress, gendered burden, and long-term productivity decline.
- Strategy for climate-resilient livelihoods: Indicate an integrated approach combining worker protections, heat-sensitive urban planning, climate-resilient skilling, portable social security, and strengthened heat-health systems.
Conclusion
Close with a forward-looking line that heat adaptation must be treated as a growth-and-equity strategy, not merely disaster response.
