CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEAT-INDUCED MORTALITY IN INDIA

Nov. 8, 2019

A new study titled, ‘Climate Change and Heat-Induced Mortality in India’, was conducted by the Climate Impact Lab in collaboration with the Tata Centre for Development at the University of Chicago.

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It has projected that 1.5 million more Indians may die per year from extreme heat due to climate change by 2100.
India’s energy use will more than double in the next 20 years, driven largely by fossil fuels. If emissions continue to be as high as they are at present, India will see a death rate of about 60 per 100,000 by 2100.
This projected death rate is double the current death rate from oral cancer in India, which is the most common cancer in the country.
The National Capital Region is projected to see 22 times more extremely hot days and more than 23,000 climate-related deaths annually by 2100 in a high-emission scenario.
Odisha is projected to see the highest increase in the number of extremely hot days, at about 30 times more than what it is today. Punjab is projected to experience 85 extremely hot days a year, the highest among all states.
Overall, the six states of Uttar Pradesh (4,02,280), Bihar (1,36,372), Rajasthan (1,21,809), Andhra Pradesh (1,16,920), Madhya Pradesh (1,08,370) and Maharashtra (1,06,749) are projected to account for over 64 per cent of the heat-related deaths.