A worker uses a torch to cut steel pipes near the coal-powered Datang International Zhangjiakou Power Station at Zhangjiakou, in China's northern Hebei Province, on Nov. 12, 2021. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images
When Vijay Jayaraj was growing up in India, power blackouts were frequent. He said the blackouts affected everything from schooling to employment—because when there was no power, it was difficult to get much done.
He pointed to the cotton industry of South India, a major employer.