More than 70 pc of Indians link global warming with severe heat waves

The Climate Opinion Maps for India by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication reveal how people's experiences with extreme weather and their beliefs about climate change's role in these events vary across India's states and districts.

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Nationally, majorities of Indians report personally experiencing severe heat waves (71 per cent), agricultural pests and diseases (59 per cent), electricity power outages (59 per cent), water pollution (53 per cent), droughts and water shortages (52 per cent), and severe air pollution (51 per cent) in the past 12 months.

With over 1.4 billion people, India is the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions and one of the most climate-vulnerable nations. In 2024, India experienced extreme weather events on 322 days, almost 90 per cent of the year.

"As India rapidly develops while facing intensifying extreme weather, understanding how people across states and districts perceive and experience climate change is essential.

This can help local and state leaders design climate action plans that reflect people's lived realities and build durable public support for solutions," said Dr Jagadish Thaker, Senior Lecturer, University of Queensland, and one of the lead authors of this project. Geographic variation in experiences with extreme weather and related climate impacts