Heat-related deaths up 23% globally since 1990s: Lancet | India News

NEW DELHI: Failure to curb the warming effects of climate change has seen the rate of heat-related deaths surge 23% since the 1990s, reaching an estimated 5,46,000 yearly deaths globally on average between 2012-21, according to Lancet Countdown Report on Health and Climate Change.Air pollution from wildfire smoke (PM 2.5) was linked to a record 1,54,000 deaths in 2024 alone, said the report. Underlining how the continued over-reliance on fossil fuels and failure to adapt to climate change is being paid for in people’s lives, health and livelihoods, the report said the air pollution resulting from the continued burning of fossil fuels has resulted in a staggering 2.5 million deaths globally every year.It also said the global average transmission potential of dengue has risen by up to 49% since the 1950s, and linked even such a rise in India during 2015-24, compared to 1951-1960, to climate change.On India, the report, released Wednesday, said there were over 17,18,000 deaths attributable to anthropogenic air pollution (PM2.5) in 2022, an increase of 38% since 2010, whereas fossil fuels (coal and liquid gas) contributed to 7,52,000 (44%) of the deaths while coal alone accounted for 3,94,000 deaths, primarily from its use in power plants (2,98,000 deaths). It added the use of petrol for road transportation contributed to 2,69,000 deaths in India in 2022. “In 2020-2024, wildfire smoke (PM2.5) was accountable for an annual average of 10,200 deaths in India, up by 28% from 2003-2012,” it said.“In 2022, household air pollution due to the use of polluting fuels in India was associated with 113 deaths per 1,00,000. Mortality rates associated with household air pollution were higher in rural than urban areas…”India has, however, contested such findings, saying there is no conclusive data available to establish a direct correlation of death exclusively with air pollution. “Air pollution is one of the many factors affecting respiratory ailments and associated diseases. Health is impacted by a number of factors which include food habits, occupational habits, socio-economic status, medical history, immunity, heredity, etc., of individuals apart from the environment,” environment ministry has told Parliament a number of times on the question of linking deaths exclusively with air pollution.Authored by 128 experts, the report noted the continued dependence on fossil fuels also puts an unbearable strain on countries’ budgets, with govts collectively spending $956 billion on net fossil fuel subsidies in 2023. “In 2024, people in India were exposed to 19.8 heatwave days each, on average. Of these, 6.6 days of exposure would not have been expected to occur without climate change,” said the report, while noting how it impacted labour hours and posed a moderate or higher risk of heat stress during moderate outdoor activity.It said heat exposure resulted in a loss of 247 billion potential labour hours in 2024, a record high of 419 hour per person, and 124% more than in 1990-1999, in India.