Cambridge Study: Heat Waves May Burden Health, Agriculture in India

According to a study, heat waves in India are becoming more frequent, intense, and deadly, which is placing a strain on public health, agriculture, and other socio-economic and cultural systems.

According to a research titled "Lethal heat waves are challenging India's sustainable development" published in PLOS Climate by a team of researchers led by Ramit Debnath from the University of Cambridge in Britain, India's sustainable development goals may face obstacles due to the increased likelihood of deadly heatwaves caused by climate change.

Researchers have conducted an analytical evaluation to analyze India's climate vulnerability and the potential impact of climate change on the country's progress toward achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The researchers focused on the impact of heatwaves, which may not have been fully considered in current climate vulnerability assessments. To accomplish this, the researchers utilized the climate vulnerability index, a composite index that takes into account various indicators related to socioeconomic, livelihood, and biophysical factors, to analyze India's heat index.

The researchers utilized a dataset of state-level climate vulnerability indicators that was publicly available on the Indian government's national data and analytics platform to categorize severity levels.

They then examined the relationship between India's progress in achieving SDGs during a span of 20 years (2001-2021) and the mortality rates resulting from extreme weather events that occurred within the same timeframe (2001-2021).

According to the researchers, the negative impact of heatwaves on the progress towards achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) in India is greater than what was previously thought.

Furthermore, the current metrics used to assess the country's vulnerability to climate change may not be adequate to fully capture the nuances of the situation. For example, the study indicates that almost 90% of India is at risk of being affected by heat waves, based on the heat index estimation.

The climate vulnerability index indicates that approximately 20% of the nation is highly susceptible to the effects of climate change. This vulnerability is also evident in the national capital, where estimates suggest that nearly all of Delhi is at risk of severe heatwave impacts. However, this concern is not reflected in the recent state action plan for climate change.

The authors of this study acknowledge certain limitations, such as the use of incongruent timeframes for climate vulnerability index and heat index data (2019-2020 and 2022, respectively). They suggest that future research should consider incorporating more recent data.

The study's findings indicate that heatwaves have a greater impact on the vulnerability of Indian states to climate change than previously estimated through the climate vulnerability index.

As heatwaves continue to recur and persist in India and its subcontinent, climate experts and policymakers must reassess how they measure the country's climate vulnerability. By doing so, there is an opportunity to create a comprehensive vulnerability index through international cooperation and partnerships.

The authors emphasized that heat waves are becoming increasingly severe in India, posing a significant threat to 80 percent of the population, which is not accounted for in the country's current climate vulnerability assessment. Failure to address this impact promptly could impede India's progress toward achieving its sustainable development goals.

-IANS

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