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Climate Adaptation:India’s Heat Wave and Climate Change
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Weather & Science

Climate Change Made Record Heat in India, Pakistan 30 Times More Likely

As the region faces rising risks, adaptation efforts like heat action plans and cooling centers have spread. 

Residents of New Delhi fill containers from a water tanker on May 13.
Residents of New Delhi fill containers from a water tanker on May 13.Photographer: Ruhani Kaur/Bloomberg
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Climate change made a two-month heat wave in India and Pakistan 30 times more likely and a degree Celsius hotter than the average daily high would have been otherwise, according to an analysis of March and April temperatures published today by the World Weather Attribution initiative. 

The heat wave, which is ongoing, led the Indian government earlier this month to limit wheat exports after the heat cut yields by roughly 20%. That reversed previously announced moves by India, the world’s second-biggest wheat producer, to help boost the global supply, devastated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.