India’s Heat Waves Endanger Development of Most Populous Nation
Repeated heat stress from climate-exacerbated hot weather is making India’s population more vulnerable to illness and hunger, a new study says.
People rest under a bridge in New Delhi in May 2022.
Photographer: Saumya Khandelwal/BloombergIndia’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.