What impact will the unrelenting heat have on India’s future health? | In Focus podcast
7 months, 3 weeks ago

What impact will the unrelenting heat have on India’s future health? | In Focus podcast

The Hindu  

This March was the hottest on record globally, the 10th month in a row to hit this peak. This doesn’t feel surprising – most parts of India have been sweltering since last month, the India Meteorological Department or IMD hadd forecast heatwave conditions in parts of at least 10 States last week and it‘s only going to get worse in May. This year, the heat is even believed to have impacting voting in our crucial general election, and the Election Commission has now set up a taskforce to oversee heatwave conditions. We’re used to scorching summers in India – but experts say that heatwaves are now arriving earlier in the year, are more frequent and are also lasting longer – which means they have a huge impact on the health of humans and animals, on our agriculture and food, on our cities, our water resources and our energy supplies. Guest: Poornima Prabhakaran, Director, Centre for Health Analytics Research and Trends, Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.

India Heat Future Health  election  heatwaves  heat  podcast  unrelenting  india  month  impact  indias  parts  focus  heatwave  globally  food  future  health

History of this topic

The climate future: We're entering a world of falling GDP and overheated seas
1 week, 5 days ago

The climate future: We're entering a world of falling GDP and overheated seas

Live Mint  

Sitting down to write this newsletter, I was thinking about a way to introduce it that would chime in with the fact that we are in December. According to the November data of the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the average global surface temperature was 1.62 degrees Celsius hotter than pre-industrial levels. View Full Image In May, a working …

2024 set to be warmest year on record: European climate agency
2 weeks, 1 day ago

2024 set to be warmest year on record: European climate agency

Deccan Chronicle  

The year 2024 is set to be the warmest on record and the first with an average temperature above 1.5 degrees Celsius, European climate agency Copernicus said on Monday.Also, November 2024 became the second-warmest with an average surface air temperature of 14.10 degrees Celsius -- 0.73 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average for the month.The month marked another milestone in …

Heat, air pollution, disease: How climate change affects health
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Heat, air pollution, disease: How climate change affects health

New Indian Express  

PARIS: Record-breaking heat, extreme weather events, air pollution and the spread of infectious disease: climate change poses an already vast yet rising threat to the health of humans around the world, experts warn. "Climate change is making us sick, and urgent action is a matter of life and death," the World Health Organization warned this week. Extreme heat The EU's …

Tamil Nadu Brace for Extreme Heat as State Warns of Heatwave
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Tamil Nadu Brace for Extreme Heat as State Warns of Heatwave

The Hindu  

Tamil Nadu is bracing for heatwaves, with temperatures exceeding 40°C in several parts of the state. The government has declared a State-specific disaster, providing relief to people affected by heatwaves, including providing medical assistance and financial aid to those who have lost loved ones to heat-related causes. Tamil Nadu is one of the regions in India that is particularly vulnerable …

Heat, Health and Economic Toll Escalate in India as Climate Crisis Grips the Nation
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Heat, Health and Economic Toll Escalate in India as Climate Crisis Grips the Nation

New Indian Express  

India is grappling with the harsh realities of climate change, with heat, health, and economic impacts escalating. The country is facing a 50% increase in potential labour hours lost to extreme heat since the 1990s, with economic losses valued at $141 billion in 2023. Rising sea levels threaten around 18.1 million Indians living less than a metre above sea level, …

Health matters newsletter: Excessive heat declared a T.N. State disaster
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Health matters newsletter: Excessive heat declared a T.N. State disaster

The Hindu  

In what could well be tagged as a ‘pioneering’ move, one that is in sync with the current global concern of the effects of climate change, Tamil Nadu went ahead and declared heatwaves as State-specific disasters and announced an ex-gratia for heat-related deaths. The World Health Organization says the number of people exposed to extreme heat is growing exponentially due …

India experiences the second hottest period since 1970 due to climate change
3 months ago

India experiences the second hottest period since 1970 due to climate change

The Hindu  

The months of June, July, and August 2024 recorded India’s second-hottest season since 1970, a report titled, People Exposed to Climate Change: June-August 2024 released on Wednesday by climate experts at Climate Central said. “Over 20.5 million people experienced high temperatures exceptionally influenced by climate change for at least 60 days in the past three months, making India the Southern …

My life at 50C: India’s new reality of extreme heat
3 months, 3 weeks ago

My life at 50C: India’s new reality of extreme heat

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Life at 50C: Delhi’s streets struggling to cope with heatwave At least 110 people died from heatstroke across the …

United Nations urges nations to adopt several proposals aimed at reducing heat deaths; asks to care for vulnerable people
4 months, 4 weeks ago

United Nations urges nations to adopt several proposals aimed at reducing heat deaths; asks to care for vulnerable people

The Hindu  

After three of Earth's hottest days ever measured, the United Nations called for a flurry of efforts to try to reduce the human toll from soaring and searing temperatures, calling it “an extreme heat epidemic.” “If there is one thing that unites our divided world, it's that we're all increasingly feeling the heat,” United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said …

India reported 40,000 suspected heat stroke cases this summer
4 months, 4 weeks ago

India reported 40,000 suspected heat stroke cases this summer

Hindustan Times  

New Delhi: India has reported over 100 deaths and 40,000 cases of suspected heat stroke since the onset of summer in 2024, as of mid-June, according to the United Nations Call to Action on Extreme Heat released on Thursday. Heat exposure resulted in potential income losses equivalent to $863 billion in 2022. International Labour Organization data warns that over 70% …

India reported 40,000 suspected heat stroke cases this summer: UN report
4 months, 4 weeks ago

India reported 40,000 suspected heat stroke cases this summer: UN report

Hindustan Times  

New Delhi: India reported 40,000 cases of suspected heat stroke and over 100 deaths since the onset of summer in 2024, as of mid-June 30, according to a report from the United Nations Call to Action on Extreme Heat. The UN has recommended that countries adopt evidence-based policies, regulations multi-dimensional risk assessments and community-driven actions to protect the most vulnerable; …

UN asks nations to better prepare, cool the vulnerable as ‘extreme heat epidemic’ breaks records
4 months, 4 weeks ago

UN asks nations to better prepare, cool the vulnerable as ‘extreme heat epidemic’ breaks records

Associated Press  

After three of Earth’s hottest days ever measured, the United Nations called for a flurry of efforts to try to reduce the human toll from soaring and searing temperatures, calling it “an extreme heat epidemic.” “If there is one thing that unites our divided world, it’s that we’re all increasingly feeling the heat,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday …

‘International Cooperation is Required to Fight Heatwaves’: Climate Scientist Indu. K. Murthy
5 months ago

‘International Cooperation is Required to Fight Heatwaves’: Climate Scientist Indu. K. Murthy

The Hindu  

Published : Jul 23, 2024 17:21 IST - 7 MINS READ State governments and the Centre were caught on the back foot as they scrambled to implement heat action plans this summer as parts of India reeled under heatwaves, which killed 58 people in New Delhi alone. Governments must support research and innovation in heat resilience technologies and strategies, given …

Lack of heat-related death numbers shows that India is unprepared for the next crisis
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Lack of heat-related death numbers shows that India is unprepared for the next crisis

Hindustan Times  

Though India experienced one of its worst summers with record heatwave days and prolonged warm night periods since April across the country, a reliable estimate of how many lives were lost is not available. Climate change has impacted temperature-related neonatal deaths in all countries surveyed, with most pronounced climate-induced losses from increased heat and gains from decreased cold observed in …

India is likely undercounting heat deaths, affecting its response to increasingly harsh heat waves
5 months, 2 weeks ago

India is likely undercounting heat deaths, affecting its response to increasingly harsh heat waves

The Hindu  

Months of scorching temperatures sometimes over 50 degrees C in parts of India this year — its worst heat wave in over a decade — left hundreds dead or ill. Public health experts say the true number of heat-related deaths is likely in the thousands but because heat is often not listed as a reason on a death certificate many …

India is likely undercounting heat deaths, affecting its response to increasingly harsh heat waves
5 months, 2 weeks ago

India is likely undercounting heat deaths, affecting its response to increasingly harsh heat waves

Associated Press  

BENGALURU, India — Months of scorching temperatures sometimes over 50 degrees Celsius in parts of India this year — its worst heat wave in over a decade — left hundreds dead or ill. Public health experts say the true number of heat-related deaths is likely in the thousands but because heat is often not listed as a reason on a …

hotter nights in India affecting sleep Posing Health Risks Climate Change new study report
6 months ago

hotter nights in India affecting sleep Posing Health Risks Climate Change new study report

ABP News  

New Delhi: India is experiencing a dramatic increase in nighttime temperatures due to climate change, with significant implications for public health, a new analysis reveals. Health Implications Of Hotters Nights The Climate Central analysis said these "increasingly frequent extreme nighttime temperatures" were causing exhaustion, heat stress, and heat-related deaths. “Our analysis shows that over the last decade the average person …

North India heat wave claims 143 lives between March and June; nearly 42,000 heat stroke cases
6 months ago

North India heat wave claims 143 lives between March and June; nearly 42,000 heat stroke cases

New Indian Express  

NEW DELHI: The unrelenting heat wave sweeping large parts of the country has claimed more lives, with 143 recorded deaths and 41,789 people suffering from suspected cases of heat stroke between March 1 and June 20 this year, Health Ministry sources said on Friday. According to official data, on June 20 alone, there were 14 confirmed deaths from heat stroke …

Extreme heat in India has killed more than 100 people in the past three and a half months
6 months ago

Extreme heat in India has killed more than 100 people in the past three and a half months

Associated Press  

NEW DELHI — A monthslong heat wave across swathes of India has killed more than 100 people and led to over 40,000 suspected cases of heat stroke in the past three and a half months, according to data from India’s Health Ministry. People rest under a stationary train coach on a hot summer day in Mumbai, India Climate experts also …

Heatwave observed in May 1.5°C warmer than previous ones: ClimaMeter
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Heatwave observed in May 1.5°C warmer than previous ones: ClimaMeter

The Hindu  

An analysis by ClimaMeter has revealed that the heatwave in May was 1.5°C warmer than the warmest heatwaves previously observed in the country. They analysed how events similar to the high temperature in India’s May heatwave changed in the present, compared to what they would have looked like if they had occurred in the past in the region. The temperature …

Climate crisis made May heatwaves 1.5C hotter in India, study says
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Climate crisis made May heatwaves 1.5C hotter in India, study says

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The unprecedented heatwaves that scorched northern and central India in May were made 1.5 degrees …

India’s deadly heat kills over 200 people, including dozens of poll workers as elections wrap up
6 months, 3 weeks ago

India’s deadly heat kills over 200 people, including dozens of poll workers as elections wrap up

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Over 200 people, including dozens of workers on election duty, have died in the last …

A scorching heat wave kills 14 in India ahead of a final round of election voting on Saturday
6 months, 3 weeks ago

A scorching heat wave kills 14 in India ahead of a final round of election voting on Saturday

Associated Press  

PATNA, India — A blistering heat wave has killed at least 14 people, including 10 election officials, in eastern India with temperatures soaring up to 49.9 degrees Celsius in parts of the country this week, officials said Friday. The heat wave came as hundreds of millions of Indians have been voting in a 6-week long general election, increasing health risks …

India may have recorded its hottest temperatures ever as Delhi faces extreme heatwave
6 months, 3 weeks ago

India may have recorded its hottest temperatures ever as Delhi faces extreme heatwave

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Heatwaves are clearly the single largest threat to India’s well being today.” Aarti Khosla, director of Climate Trends These …

Getting ready for heatwaves
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Getting ready for heatwaves

Hindustan Times  

A crushing heatwave that began more than a week ago has become unbearable since Monday. In Delhi, power consumption surpassed records and desperate families mobbed water tankers after their taps ran dry. A 40-year-old labourer who lived in a room with no air cooling died at a hospital during the week and the administration imposed fines on wasteful use of …

Delhi is not alone: How climate change has added average of 26 extra days of extreme heat across world
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Delhi is not alone: How climate change has added average of 26 extra days of extreme heat across world

Firstpost  

A report released by the International Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, World Weather Attribution and the non-profit Climate Central has found that countries around the world witnessed an average of 26 extra days of ‘extreme heat’ that would likely not have occurred without climate change The research, which examined the impact of climate change over the past 12 months, …

Behind heat surge, factors that will only worsen
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Behind heat surge, factors that will only worsen

Hindustan Times  

Near 50°C temperatures have become increasingly common across India in recent years. “We had expected severe heat wave spells this year because El Nino is transitioning to neutral conditions and during such periods El Nino leaves a very strong mark causing severe heat spells. Only today it was disrupted by an active Western Disturbance which will help reduce temperatures for …

Need to hasten climate action as temps break records
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Need to hasten climate action as temps break records

New Indian Express  

The unprecedented rise in temperatures across north India—especially in Delhi, which recorded a historical high of 52.9°C on Wednesday—has given a glimpse into the dire future caused by human-induced climate change. The increased emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide produced by human activities are creating the effect of trapping heat and raising temperatures on …

Temperature in India Capital Jumps as Heat Waves Turn Brutal
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Temperature in India Capital Jumps as Heat Waves Turn Brutal

Live Mint  

-- The mercury hit 52.9C at a weather observatory in Delhi, with heat waves in several parts of the country posing serious health risks and sending peak electricity demand in the capital to an all-time high. IMD is examining the data and sensors.” The place has more concrete structures and relatively less green coverage, and sometimes records higher temperatures also …

Heatwave conditions continue in northwest India, temperatures set to rise further, says IMD
7 months ago

Heatwave conditions continue in northwest India, temperatures set to rise further, says IMD

India TV News  

The northwest region of the country continued to battle scorching heat as the blistering heatwave persisted unabated on Wednesday, with the mercury surging to 48 degrees Celsius in Rajasthan's Barmer, the highest temperature recorded in the country this year so far. At least 24 places in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh recorded maximum temperatures of …

Parts of northern India scorched by extreme heat with New Delhi on high alert
7 months ago

Parts of northern India scorched by extreme heat with New Delhi on high alert

Associated Press  

NEW DELHI — Parts of northwest India sweltered under scorching temperatures on Saturday, with the capital New Delhi under a severe weather alert as extreme temperatures strike parts of the country. India’s weather department expects heat wave conditions to persist across the north for the next few days, and has put several states on high alert. The extreme temperatures in …

Climate change to intensify heatwave in India: Scientists
7 months ago

Climate change to intensify heatwave in India: Scientists

Hindustan Times  

The intense heat likely to hit India over the next few days will be exacerbated by climate change, according to a research group. A man takes shelter under an umbrella from the scorching sun on a hot summer afternoon in New Delhi The northwestern region of the country, including the capital Delhi, is expected to record temperatures that could exceed …

Extreme heat in April made worse by climate crisis: Study
7 months, 1 week ago

Extreme heat in April made worse by climate crisis: Study

Hindustan Times  

Extreme heat events in April over large parts of South Asia were made 45 times more likely and 0.85°C hotter by the climate crisis, an analysis by World Weather Attribution, a global team of climate scientists said on Tuesday. These results align with WWA’s previous studies in 2022 and 2023 focused on the South Asia region which found that climate …

Sweltering heat across Asia was 45 times more likely because of climate change, study finds
7 months, 1 week ago

Sweltering heat across Asia was 45 times more likely because of climate change, study finds

Associated Press  

BENGALURU, India — Sizzling heat across Asia and the Middle East in late April that echoed last year’s destructive swelter was made 45 times more likely in some parts of the continent because of human-caused climate change, a study Tuesday found. Scorching temperatures were felt across large swaths of Asia, from Gaza in the west — where over 2 million …

April 2024 was hottest on record, marking 11 months of new highs
7 months, 2 weeks ago

April 2024 was hottest on record, marking 11 months of new highs

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The streak of record global temperatures has continued for the 11th month in a row, …

From flooding in Brazil and Houston to brutal heat in Asia, extreme weather seems nearly everywhere
7 months, 2 weeks ago

From flooding in Brazil and Houston to brutal heat in Asia, extreme weather seems nearly everywhere

Associated Press  

In sweltering Brazil, flooding killed dozens of people and paralyzed a city of about 4 million people. “If this record pace of warming continues, 2024 will likely be a record year of climate disasters and human suffering.” When the world is warmer, it is likely to have more extreme weather and climate events, including record heat and rainfall, scientists say. …

Heat of the moment
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Heat of the moment

The Hindu  

We end April by circling back to a conundrum we raised at the start of this month. Unregulated OTC drugs may spell graver health consequences – including drug abuse, increased risk of adverse drug reactions, delayed access to healthcare and possible compromise in storage of medicines. New evidence from the World Health Organisation shows the same antibiotics that were sold …

Severe heatwave alert for four states in next few days, says Weather Department
7 months, 4 weeks ago

Severe heatwave alert for four states in next few days, says Weather Department

India Today  

The India Meteorological Department on Friday issued a heatwave warning for various regions across the country. In its weather bulletin, the IMD said that areas in East and South peninsular India would likely experience a continuation of heatwave to severe heatwave conditions for the next five days. The IMD said that the regions which would experience severe heatwave conditions include …

India among worst hit by extreme heat, floods, glacier disaster in 2023: WMO
8 months ago

India among worst hit by extreme heat, floods, glacier disaster in 2023: WMO

Hindustan Times  

Asia remained the world’s most disaster-hit region from weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023, the World Meteorological Organisation said on Tuesday while highlighting that extreme heat, severe floods, a glacial lake outburst flood devastated parts of India also last year. In India, Yemen, and Pakistan, floods were the natural hazard event which caused the greatest number of fatalities, highlighting …

Weatherman signals a nasty summer ahead for India
8 months, 1 week ago

Weatherman signals a nasty summer ahead for India

Live Mint  

NEW DELHI : Climate change will accelerate the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, India’s top weatherman warned, on the backdrop of the country witnessing a far higher number of intensely heavy rainfall and heatwave days, fewer colder days and increasing thunderstorms in recent times. “We are noticing extreme behaviour in weather," India Meteorological Department director-general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said …

IMD issues ‘heatwave alert’ for parts of southern and eastern India for next two days | Top updates
8 months, 2 weeks ago

IMD issues ‘heatwave alert’ for parts of southern and eastern India for next two days | Top updates

Hindustan Times  

The India Meteorological Department on Saturday said that parts of peninsular and eastern India are expected to experience “heatwave conditions for the next two days”. According to the IMD, a heatwave occurs when air temperatures reach levels that pose a risk to human health upon exposure. On Saturday, the weather department wrote on X, “Heat wave conditions are likely to …

World Meteorological Organisation confirms 2023 as ‘hottest year’
9 months ago

World Meteorological Organisation confirms 2023 as ‘hottest year’

The Hindu  

In line with a host of observations by climate agencies in the preceding three months, the World Meteorological Organisation has officially confirmed 2023 to be the hottest year on record. “Never have we been so close — albeit on a temporary basis at the moment — to the 1.5 degree Celsius lower limit of the Paris Agreement on climate change,” …

The last 12 months were the hottest in recorded history, analysis finds
1 year, 1 month ago

The last 12 months were the hottest in recorded history, analysis finds

Salon  

A new report by the nonprofit organization Climate Central reveals that the last 12 months were the hottest ever recorded. As the organization's vice president for science Dr. Andrew Pershing said in a statement, "this 12-month record is exactly what we expect from a global climate fueled by carbon pollution." As a result, roughly nine out of ten humans alive …

With El Nino around, the heat is on
1 year, 1 month ago

With El Nino around, the heat is on

Hindustan Times  

This year, forest fires turned swathes of hills and forests to ash in Europe, virtually wiping out an entire town as all past temperature records fell. El Nino conditions, a phenomenon where the equatorial Pacific waters become warmer than usual, are partly to blame for the trend, and it is just getting stronger, making next year likely to become even …

2.2 billion people could face heat waves beyond survival limit: Study
1 year, 2 months ago

2.2 billion people could face heat waves beyond survival limit: Study

Hindustan Times  

India and the Indus Valley will experience the first deadly moist heat waves and, subsequently, substantial increases in accumulated hot hours per year, a new paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has said. The paper led by Penn State College of Health and Human Development and the Purdue College of Sciences and Purdue’s Institute for a …

'220 crore people in India, Pak to face deadly heat if...': Research
1 year, 2 months ago

'220 crore people in India, Pak to face deadly heat if...': Research

India Today  

If global temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, around 2.2 billion people living in the Indus River Valley in northern India and eastern Pakistan may experience extended periods of heat that exceed human tolerance, according to new research. The IPCC emphasises that to avert extreme, destructive and likely irreversible effects of climate change, the world must cut …

Climate change: India feels the heat
1 year, 4 months ago

Climate change: India feels the heat

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: Climate change may be far from an immediate or even long-term concern for many, but the impact of greenhouse gas emissions across the globe is being felt in India too, the Government of India has told the Parliament. Between 1993 and 2017, the total rise in the sea level was a 7.92 centimetres around India, as per the data …

In rural India, summer's heat can be deadly. Ambulance crews see the toll up close
1 year, 5 months ago

In rural India, summer's heat can be deadly. Ambulance crews see the toll up close

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Siren blaring, Sunil Kumar Naik's …

What extreme heat can do to our body | In Focus podcast
1 year, 5 months ago

What extreme heat can do to our body | In Focus podcast

The Hindu  

India has faced record-breaking temperatures this summer. The punishing heatwave across large parts of our country has killed dozens of people already, and while exact numbers remain controversial, the fact remains that heatwaves are becoming far more frequent, lasting for longer, and, as a consequence affecting more people. A large section of our population works out of doors for most …

Discover Related