Repeated heat stress from climate-exacerbated hot weather is making India’s population more vulnerable to illness and hunger, a new study says.
(Bloomberg) — India’s heat waves are making almost all of its people more vulnerable to illness and hunger, holding back the development of Asia’s third largest economy, according to a new study.
The impact of heat stress from repeated high temperatures is currently not being measured by the Indian government in its assessment of climate vulnerability, academics at the University of Cambridge said. This is leading the country to underestimate the risks of heat waves, according to the study released on Wednesday, the same day the United Nations reported that India has overtaken China as the world’s most populous nation.
The researchers measured the physical impact of last year’s record-breaking 49 degrees Celsius heat on India’s population and found that almost 90% of people were made more vulnerable to public health issues, food shortages, and increased risk of death. The country’s population is among the most at risk to the effects of high heat, which is becoming more severe with climate change.
The authors of the study said the government’s failure to measure heat stress as part of its planning for climate change makes it difficult to identify parts of the country where people are more vulnerable, such as Delhi and other large cities. Residents of the country’s capital endured some of the most difficult conditions last year.
“A heat stress measure which identifies the impacts and the parts of India where the population is most vulnerable to recurring heat waves would help to make state Heat Action Plans being created across India more effective,” said Ramit Debnath, one of the report’s authors from the University of Cambridge.
The study is published in the journal PLOS Climate.
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