(Image source from: Moneycontrol.com)
In India, in 2024, people experienced around 20 days of extreme heat on average. Out of these, approximately six and a half days were considered out of the ordinary and linked to climate change, according to a recent global report from The Lancet journal. The reports estimate that due to the heat exposure in 2024, there was a loss of 247 billion potential working hours each year, averaging nearly 420 hours lost per person, which is a significant increase of 124 percent compared to the period from 1990 to 1999. The agricultural sector was responsible for 66 percent of these losses, while the construction industry accounted for 20 percent, based on the '2025 Report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change'. This extreme heat reduced workers' ability to earn money by a potential loss of 194 billion US dollars in 2024.
A global team made up of 128 specialists from 71 universities and United Nations organizations, led by University College London, created the ninth edition of this report. Released before the upcoming 30th UN Conference of the Parties (COP30), this report is the most thorough evaluation so far of how climate change impacts health. They pointed out that depending too heavily on fossil fuels and not adjusting to climate changes is harming people's lives and health, with 12 out of 20 health threat indicators reaching all-time highs. Deaths linked to heat have increased by 23 percent since the 1990s, totaling 546,000 per year, and the average potential for dengue fever transmission has grown by as much as 49 percent around the world since the 1950s, according to the team.
"In 2024, individuals in India faced an average of 19.8 heatwave days. Among these, 6.6 days would not have likely occurred without climate change," they noted in a data sheet relevant to the country that accompanied the report. Additionally, between 2020 and 2024, an average of 10,200 deaths yearly in India were linked to PM2.5 pollution from forest fires, which is a rise of 28 percent compared to the figures from 2003 to 2012. PM2.5 pollution caused by human activities led to over 1.7 million deaths in 2022, increasing by 38 percent since 2010, with fossil fuels like coal and liquid gas causing 44 percent of these deaths, according to the report. The usage of petrol for vehicles was responsible for 269,000 deaths, it stated.
