A new report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change says that over the last decade, infants and adults aged 65 or above were exposed to about eight heatwave days each year on average in India. This is a 47 per cent increase for infants and 58 per cent for older adults, compared to 1990-1999. The report was published ahead of the 29th UN Conference of the Parties, or ‘COP29’.
This report revealed the country-wise assessment of how climate change is affecting people’s health. According to the report in 2023 alone, people in India were found to be exposed to moderate or higher risk of heat stress for about 2,400 hours or 100 days, while performing light outdoor activities such as walking. The report showed that 10 of the 15 indicators that help track health threats to people around the world due to global warming, including rising nighttime temperatures and extreme precipitation, reached concerning new records.
Further, estimating the economic impacts of heat in India, the report found that the agricultural sector was the worst hit from potential income loss due to a reduced capacity of labour in 2023 to the tune of over $71.9 billion in potential losses. Overall, in 2023, about 181 billion labour hours were potentially lost due to exposure to heat in India which is an increase of 50 per cent from those lost during 1990-1999.
The authors of the report say that it provides the most up-to-date assessment of the links between health and climate change. The healt.
