Climate change will increase the intensity and frequency of heat waves in the future, and governments must act now to avoid negative consequences for public health and food security, experts said on Thursday. According to a new study released on Wednesday by researchers from the University of Cambridge, the entire city of Delhi is vulnerable to the severe effects of heat waves, despite the fact that the city’s recent state action plan for climate change does not reflect this. According to the study, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS Climate, heat waves have hampered India’s progress towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals more significantly than previously thought, and that current assessment metrics may not fully capture the country’s impacts of heat waves linked to climate change. The concentration of slum population and overcrowding in high Heat Index areas, lack of access to basic amenities such as electricity, water, and sanitation, non-availability of immediate healthcare and health insurance, poor housing condition, and dirty cooking fuel are all factors that will exacerbate heat-related vulnerabilities.
The India Meteorological Department forecasted above-normal maximum temperatures for most of the country from April to June, with the exception of the northwest and peninsular regions, earlier this month. During this time, most of central, eastern, and northwest India can expect above-normal temperatures. India had its hottest February since records began in 1901 in 2023. However, above-average precipitation in March kept temperatures in check. The month of March 2022 was the warmest on record and the third driest in 121 years. In addition, the country experienced its third-warmest April since 1901. Heat-related stress affects approximately 75% of Indian workers (around 380 million people).
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