In 2024, people in India were exposed to 19.8 heatwave days each, on average. Of these, 6.6 days of exposure would not have been expected to occur without climate change.
The year 2024 was the hottest on record, with catastrophic consequences for the health, lives, and livelihoods of people across the globe, says a new report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change. Worldwide, the average person was exposed to a record extra 16 health-threatening hot days owing directly to climate change, with the most vulnerable (those aged under 1 year and over 65 years) experiencing, on average, an all-time high of 20 heatwave days -- a 389% and 304% increase, respectively, from the 1986-2005 yearly average.
In 2024, people in India were exposed to 19.8 heatwave days each, on average. Of these, 6.6 days of exposure would not have been expected to occur without climate change. Compared to 1990-1999, in 2024, people were exposed on average to 366 more hours during which ambient heat would have posed a moderate or higher risk of heat stress if undertaking moderate outdoor physical activity. This was a record high. According to the report, heat exposure resulted in a loss of 247 billion potential labour hours per year, a record high 419 h per person and 124% more than in 1990-1999.
"This year's health stock paints a bleak and undeniable picture of the devastating health harms reaching all corners of the world - with record-breaking threats to health from heat, extreme weather events, and wildfire smoke killing millions. The destruction to lives and livelihoods will continue to escalate until we end our fossil fuel addiction and dramatically up our game to adapt," warned Dr Marina Romanello, Executive Director of the Lancet Countdown at University College London at a virtual press conference.
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The 9th Lancet Countdown annual indicator report led by University College London, and produced in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) represents the work of 128 leading experts from 71 academic institutions and UN agencies globally. Published ahead of the 30th UN Conference of the Parties (COP), the report provides an assessment to date of the connections between climate change and health, including new metrics which record deaths from extreme heat and wildfire smoke, the coverage of urban blue spaces (rivers, lakes, and coastlines), health adaptation funding and individual engagement with health and climate change.
Health infrastructure should be climate resilient, early warning tools crucial
When contacted Dr Soumya Swaminathan, former chief scientist with WHO and member of the Lancet Countdown Report from India said that there was a need to strengthen systems to address heat-related illnesses, especially in workplaces, factories and outdoor settings. "This includes revising labour regulations, ensuring access to clean water and sanitation, and providing adequate hydration for workers. Frontline health workers must be trained to identify and refer cases of heat-related illnesses promptly," Dr Swaminathan said while making a strong case for making the health infrastructure climate resilient. "Some health centres are located in low lying areas that are flood prone. These need to be elevated. Centres should be equipped with cooling rooms for heat emergencies and staffed with personnel trained in climate and disaster response. There remains a gap between awareness and capacity of primary healthcare workers and expectations placed on them," she added. "While India has made progress in forecasting cyclones, early warning systems for other disasters,such as landslides need to be addressed," Dr Swaminathan, who is also the member of the governing council of Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission.
"Many lives could be saved through timely evacuation enabled by better predictive tools. Similarly, heatwave forecasting must become more localized and actionable, providing district authorities with specific guidance for targeted interventions. In only a few states is heat officially recognized as a disaster under the State Disaster Management Authority. Expanding this recognition nationwide is essential to prevent deaths, especially during peak summer months. There is a need for action oriented, clear heat action plans at city, district and state level with a nodal agency responsible for implementation and monitoring," Dr Swaminathan said adding that there is a need for better data systems that integrate climate and health data.
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'Opportunity to make universal access to clean cooking a working reality by 2030'
"The imperative for actions on 'just and inclusive clean household energy transitions' couldn't be greater," says Dr Kalpana Balakrishnan, Dean (Research) and Director WHO-Collaborating Centre at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER), Chennai. It is clear that without advancing clean cooking access and overcoming barriers for sustained use, meeting the SDG 2030 goals and the net-zero 2050 emissions targets would be impossible. This is the lowest hanging fruit to transform the resilience pathways for nearly 3 billion in the world with phenomenal cost efficiencies for co- benefits on air pollution mediated climate insults"," she said adding " India has an opportunity to make universal access to clean cooking a working reality by 2030 and demonstrate global climate stewardship in unprecedented ways"