With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reporting highs of almost fifty degrees Celsius over the weekend tensions are looming regarding heat related deaths. One key concern is the increased risk of complications in those living with hypertension. Heatwaves have seen highs of 49 degrees in Delhi, with neighbouring Gurugram in Haryana recorded 48.1 degrees Celsius, […]
heatwave
Abnormal temperatures linked to climate change cause over seven lakh deaths annually
Almost 740,000 deaths in India can be attributed to abnormal hot and cold temperatures related to climate change annually, according to a study published in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health. Laying bare the link between non-optimal temperatures and increased mortality, the study evaluated the impact on a global, regional, and national scale. The findings […]
Heatwave deaths: Half a century, 17,000 lives
Heatwaves in India claimed more than 17,000 lives in a near half-century, research published earlier this year has found. The trend of heatwave deaths points to the rising urgency of combating climate change. Between 1971 and 2019, the research posited that extreme weather events claimed 141,308 lives. Of these fatalities, twelve percent – translating to […]
Forty percent chance Earth will exceed COP21 climate goals in coming years, according to research
![By U.S. Department of State from United States [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.healthissuesindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Secretary_Kerry_Addresses_Delegates_Before_Signing_the_COP21_Climate_Change_Agreement_on_Earth_Day_in_New_York_26514585581-150x150.jpg "Exclusive interview: Sir Andy Haines on climate change, a global health challenge")
At a time when international countries have their sights firmly set on the COP26, research issued by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has suggested that there is roughly a forty percent chance annual average global temperatures will temporarily push past the limit set out in the COP21 climate agreement in at least one of the […]
Natural disasters: How much do they cost?
In an era of climate change driving extreme weather patterns, natural disasters seem to be becoming the norm. Indeed, recent months have seen the eyes of the world captivated by wildfires ravaging Australia – the country’s worst in decades. India is no stranger to environmental catastrophes and extreme weather patterns, witnessing calamities ranging from heatwaves […]
Child health: How climate change will affect it
“A child born today will experience a world that is more than four degrees warmer than the pre-industrial average, with climate change impacting human health from infancy and adolescence to adulthood and old age,” reads a report published yesterday by The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change – lending a chilling insight into the […]
Heavy flooding continues to ravage India
Amidst the heavy flooding plaguing eastern and northern India, a tiger displaced from Assam’s flood-ravaged Kaziranga National Park sought refuge in a nearby house – much to the shock of residents. The tiger fled the park where 92 animals have drowned. Many are still trapped by the floodwaters. In a viral photo shared by an […]
The death toll of India’s heatwave
India is currently in the midst of a heatwave that has seen temperatures exceed 45°C in some parts of the country. Officials have cited reports of 207 heat-related deaths across the country at the time of writing. This death toll includes 83 people in the eastern state of Bihar, although some estimates place the […]
Water crisis: Day Zero arrives in Chennai
India has been staring down the barrel of a water crisis for some time now. In Chennai, it has materialised. All four major reservoirs of the Tamil Nadu state capital have effectively run dry, their reserves dropping to a seventy-year low. This is severely affecting the capacity of the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage […]
When India had the hottest cities in the world
India is already baking under the weight of summer heat, which the country’s Meteorological Department expects only to get worse in the coming months. And, in extreme cases of extreme heat, recent days have seen India become home to the fifteen hottest cities in the world. On Friday, April 26th, the fifteen hottest cities in […]