India faces threat of climate-sensitive diseases, heat exposure: Report

India faces an escalating threat of climate-sensitive infectious diseases, with the spread of malaria to the Himalayan region and expanded dengue transmission across India.
According to the eighth Lancet Countdown on health and climate change, developed by 122 experts, the spread of these diseases fuels demand for improved climate-integrated forecasting, strengthened healthcare infrastructure, and increased community awareness.
The evidence-based report also revealed that the country’s coastal communities face profound risks due to rising sea levels, compelling the need for effective flood adaptation plans.
“The findings denote an urgent call to action for India to revitalise its health and climate policies, prioritise financial investments, and build a robust adaptive response to protect its population from the ever-intensifying threats posed by climate change,” it said.
The latest Lancet report has exposed a concerning new reality — people across the world were grappling with record-breaking climate-induced threats.
Alarming data revealed that 10 out of 15 indicators tracking health risks have hit new records in 2023. There were also 50 days of temperatures that reached levels potentially harmful to human health.
HEAT STRESS CLAIMS MORE LIVES
In 2023, the world grappled with unprecedented climatic challenges, marking the year as the hottest on record. The unabated escalation in global temperatures precipitated severe droughts, deadly heatwaves, and catastrophic forest fires, storms, and floods.
Heat-related fatalities surged, particularly among those over the age of 65, with a staggering 167 per cent increase compared to the 1990s.
Individuals also faced an average of 1,512 hours of high temperatures that posed at least a moderate risk of heat stress — a 27.7 per cent increase from the 1990s. This resulted in a loss of 512 billion potential labour hours and an estimated $835 billion in global income losses, impacting low- and middle-income countries substantially.
Between 2014 and 2023, extreme precipitation events increased in 61% of the global land area, amplifying risks of flooding and diseases.
RISING TEMPERATURES CAUSE MORE MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES
The rise in temperatures also expanded the climatic suitability for the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, like dengue, marking an all-time high of over 5 million cases worldwide in 2023.
The changing climate was creating environments that are increasingly conducive to the transmission of infectious diseases such as dengue, malaria, West Nile virus, and vibriosis, even in areas previously untouched by these illnesses.
EXTREME DROUGHT
In 2023, a record high of 48 per cent of the global land area experienced at least one month of extreme drought, marking the second-highest levels since 1951. This has affected crop yields, water supply, and food security.
The exacerbation of drought and heatwave events from 1981 to 2010 has been linked to an additional 151 million people suffering from moderate or severe food insecurity across 124 countries in 2022.
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS
Despite the grim developments induced by climate change, the Lancet report mentioned some positive developments that offered hope for a better world.
Deaths from air pollution decreased due to reductions in coal burning, and global investment in clean energy surged to $1.9 trillion in 2023.
Employment in renewables reached record highs, underscoring the sector’s potential in supporting job security.