Lancet report: Extreme heat in India worsened by climate change
A new 2024 Lancet Countdown report highlights that climate change is making life hotter—and more dangerous—for people in India.
On average, each person faced about 20 heatwave days last year, with 6.6 of those days (about a third) that would not have been expected to occur without climate change.
2024 was the hottest year ever recorded globally, putting more people at risk from extreme heat.
Recommendations for better disaster preparedness
Infants and older adults were especially affected by the extra heat, facing higher health risks than before.
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, one of the report's authors, urged for stronger healthcare systems and better disaster prep—like updating labor laws and equipping health centers in flood-prone areas with cooling rooms for heat emergencies and elevating them as needed.
She also pushed for local heatwave forecasting and officially recognizing heatwaves as disasters to help save lives during future extreme weather events.