New research published in the esteemed medical journal, The Lancet, has revealed a stark connection between climate change and the severe heatwaves experienced in India during 2024. The study indicates that nearly one-third of the heatwave days recorded in India last year were a direct result of human-induced climate change.
Last year, India endured an average of 19.8 heatwave days. The Lancet’s findings point out that approximately 6.6 of these days would not have occurred had it not been for the accelerating effects of climate change.
The impact of these extreme heat conditions extended beyond health, causing significant economic losses. The report estimates that the heat exposure in 2024 led to a staggering loss of 247 billion potential labor hours, primarily affecting the agriculture and construction sectors, and translating to an economic deficit of around $194 billion (£151 billion).
While heatwaves are a recurring challenge for India, their frequency and intensity have seen a consistent increase over recent decades, directly linked to the phenomenon of global warming.
The consequences of prolonged exposure to extreme heat are severe, impacting human health by overwhelming the body’s thermoregulation capabilities. This can lead to dehydration, heatstroke, cardiovascular strain, and in critical cases, fatalities, with the elderly, infants, and outdoor workers being particularly vulnerable.
The Lancet Countdown report for 2025, a leading scientific reference on the health implications of climate change, has issued a dire warning: the health risks associated with rising global temperatures are now more acute than ever before.
“Throughout last year, 152 record-breaking extreme weather events were registered across 61 countries, and life-threatening, extreme heat events are becoming more intense than previously predicted,” the report emphasized.
Dr. Marina Romanello from University College London, who led the analysis, stated, “The destruction to lives and livelihoods will continue to escalate until we end our fossil fuel addiction.” This sentiment was echoed by Dr. Jeremy Farrar, Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and Care at the World Health Organization (WHO), who declared, “The climate crisis is a health crisis. Every fraction of a degree of warming costs lives and livelihoods.”
Globally, the report highlights that heat-related mortality has surged by 23% since the 1990s, resulting in an average of approximately 546,000 deaths annually.
The report also touched upon the worsening air quality in India over recent years. As winter approaches, the Indo-Gangetic plains often experience toxic air conditions, a trend that has persisted for nearly a month in the current year, with air quality frequently falling into the ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ categories, sometimes reaching ‘hazardous’ levels.
Furthermore, the report noted that in 2022, atmospheric pollution, particularly from fine PM2.5 particles, contributed to 1.7 million deaths in India. A significant portion of these, 44%, were attributed to harmful emissions from burning fossil fuels. The continued reliance on traditional biofuels like wood, dung, and crop residue for cooking also remains a silent contributor to thousands of deaths, especially among women and children in rural areas.
This critical report was released in anticipation of the upcoming COP30 summit scheduled to take place in Brazil next month.