Almost one-third of the heatwave days India experienced in 2024 were driven by climate change, according to a new report by the medical journal The Lancet.
The report found that India recorded an average of 19.8 heatwave days last year, of which 6.6 days would not have occurred without human-induced climate change.
It also estimated that heat exposure in 2024 resulted in the loss of 247 billion potential labour hours, mostly in the agriculture and construction sectors, amounting to an economic loss of about $194bn (£151bn).
While heatwaves are not new to India, their frequency and intensity have been rising steadily over the past few decades because of global warming.
Prolonged exposure to extreme heat has serious repercussions on health, increasing risks of dehydration, heatstroke, cardiovascular stress, and even death among vulnerable populations. The 2025 Lancet Countdown report warns that the health risks posed by rising global temperatures are now more severe than ever.
Jeremy Farrar of the World Health Organization explained that the climate crisis is a health crisis, emphasizing that every fraction of a degree of warming costs lives and livelihoods.
The report also noted that heat-related mortality has increased by 23% worldwide since the 1990s, with an average of around 546,000 deaths each year.
Additionally, India's air quality has worsened in recent years, with 1.7 million deaths in 2022 attributed to atmospheric pollution, particularly from fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
The report was released ahead of the COP30 summit set to take place in Brazil next month, highlighting the urgency of addressing both climate change and air quality issues globally.
