Harvard-backed Salata Institute calls extreme heat India's biggest climate threat
A new Harvard-backed report from the Salata Institute at Harvard University says extreme heat is the biggest climate threat facing India right now.
Nearly 380 million people engaged in heat-exposed labor (think farmers and construction workers) are especially vulnerable.
By 2030, up to 200 million could be exposed to dangerous heat levels.
Salata Institute report urges urban cooling
Extreme heat quietly hurts the economy by lowering productivity and driving up health care costs, issues often overlooked.
Only about 8% of Indian homes have air conditioning, so most people can't escape the rising temperatures or more frequent heat waves, which have become more frequent, longer, and more intense (maximum temperatures have climbed by about 0.28 degrees Celsius each decade since 1980).
The report highlights a rethink of how cities are built and cooled so everyone gets some relief, not just those who can afford it.