India's Climate Crisis: 20 Heatwave Days in 2024 with 6.6 Days Directly Linked to Climate Change, Reports Lancet Study

The average Indian citizen experienced approximately 20 heatwave days in 2024, with climate change directly responsible for nearly one-third of this exposure, according to a comprehensive new analysis published in The Lancet journal.

New Delhi's residents, like millions across the country, faced unprecedented heat challenges as global warming intensified weather patterns.

According to the '2025 Report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change', Indians experienced an average of 19.8 heatwave days per person in 2024, with 6.6 of those days directly attributable to human-induced climate change.

The economic impact has been severe, with extreme heat causing a record loss of 247 billion potential labor hours annually—approximately 420 hours per person, representing a 124% increase compared to the 1990-1999 period.

Agricultural workers bore the brunt of this crisis, accounting for 66% of lost labor capacity, while the construction sector represented another 20% of these losses. The report estimates that reduced labor productivity due to extreme heat resulted in potential income losses of USD 194 billion in 2024 alone.

This ninth edition of the report, produced by 128 experts from 71 academic institutions and UN agencies under University College London's leadership, stands as the most thorough assessment to date of climate change's health impacts.

The findings, released ahead of the 30th UN Conference of the Parties (COP30), highlight that continued fossil fuel dependence and inadequate climate adaptation measures are having deadly consequences worldwide, with 12 of 20 health threat indicators reaching unprecedented levels.

Heat-related mortality has increased by 23% since the 1990s, now claiming 546,000 lives annually, while dengue transmission potential has surged by up to 49% globally since the 1950s.

In India specifically, forest fire pollution has become increasingly deadly, with PM2.5 emissions causing an average of 10,200 deaths annually between 2020-2024—a 28% increase from 2003-2012 levels.

The broader impact of human-caused air pollution remains staggering, with PM2.5 pollution responsible for more than 1.7 million deaths in India during 2022, representing a 38% increase since 2010. Fossil fuel usage contributed to 44% of these deaths, while petrol used in road transportation was linked to 269,000 fatalities.