Unprecedented climate crisis hit on India: Study

India's struggle with climate change intensified dramatically in 2024, with heat exposure costing the nation a record 247 billion potential labour hours and air pollution claiming over L7 million lives in 2022, according to the 2025 report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change.

- Ridhima Gupta

The annual publication, which tracks 50-plus peer-reviewed indicators linking health and climate change, revealed that 12 of 20 health risk indicators set concerning new records last year. People in India were exposed to 19.8 heatwave days on average in 2024, with 6.6 days attributable directly to climate change.

Heat exposure in 2024 translated to a record 419 hours per person in lost labour capacity—124% more than in the baseline period of 1990-1999. The agriculture sector bore the brunt with 66% of losses, while construction accounted for 20%. The associated potential income loss reached USS194 billion.