Almost one-third of the heatwave days India experienced in 2024 were driven by climate change, according to a new report by the medical journal The Lancet.
The report found that India recorded an average of 19.8 heatwave days last year, of which 6.6 days would not have occurred without human-induced climate change.
It also estimated that heat exposure in 2024 resulted in the loss of 247 billion potential labour hours, mostly in the agriculture and construction sectors, amounting to an economic loss of about $194bn (£151bn).
While heatwaves are not new to India, their frequency and intensity have been rising steadily over the past few decades due to global warming.
Prolonged exposure to extreme heat has serious repercussions on health, increasing the risk of dehydration, heatstroke, cardiovascular stress, and even death, particularly among vulnerable populations such as the elderly and outdoor workers.
The 2025 Lancet Countdown report highlighted that rising global temperatures impose severe health risks, as evidenced by the 152 record-breaking extreme weather events documented across 61 countries last year.
The report warned, The climate crisis is a health crisis. Every fraction of a degree of warming costs lives and livelihoods, said Jeremy Farrar, assistant director-general for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at the WHO.
Furthermore, heat-related mortality has increased by 23% worldwide since the 1990s, averaging around 546,000 deaths each year.
The report also mentioned deteriorating air quality in India, attributing 1.7 million deaths in 2022 to atmospheric pollution, primarily linked to PM2.5 pollutants. As winter approaches, air quality in the Indo-Gangetic plains is increasingly classified as hazardous.
As the world approaches the COP30 summit next month in Brazil, the report underscores the urgent need to address climate change and mitigate its impacts on health and the economy.
