Millions of lives and economy are at existential risk due escalating heatwaves in India and across the world. There has been a dramatic increase in the loss of working hours by 50 per cent due to heatwaves in India. What is the primary reason for the deteriorating situation? How can economies be made climate risk-proof?
Climate change is this century’s biggest challenge that mankind is faced with as it lacks a concerted response against it. Even the international bodies such as the United Nations have warned that the world will break all records of global warming if we continue with the current response to climate change. It is no more a distant threat but an alarming reality that is killing economies, businesses and people at an unprecedented rate. Every weather and season has started posing its own specific challenges. For instance, many states in India, including the national capital territory of Delhi, have declared heatwaves warnings. Recently, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta while unveiling the Heat Action Plan 2025, said, “heatwaves have become a deadly crisis”. The government rolled out many timely measures to combat the crisis staring in our eyes. But is it a reaction or a response? Who is impacted the most by the climate change crisis, particularly heatwaves?
It has been a substantiated fact and reality that climate change impacts the economically vulnerable sections in the worst ways. For instance, the other day I was travelling in an E-rickshaw and complained of extreme heat to which the driver responded, “We want to earn money but we will be restricted due extreme heatwave.” This is how extreme weather is affecting common masses on the ground.
In the year 2024, reports suggested that around 143 people were killed and around 42,000 people suffered from heatstrokes due to heatwaves just between March and June. The 2024 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change revealed that there has been a dramatic increase in the loss of working hours by 50 per cent due to heatwaves. Moreover, extreme heatwaves conditions were the reason for economic losses of about $141 billion in 2023, causing economic loss of $71.9 billion in the farming sector as workers were not able to perform their roles to their full capacities.
The escalating number of heatwave-related areas is a grave cause of concern for India. For instance, DisastersNews study reveals that the number of heatwaves affected states has witnessed a sharp increase from 9 in 2015 to 23 in 2025. One can only imagine how bad this means for the economy, businesses, common people, elderly population, women and children.
Earlier, the Reserve Bank of India also warned that climate change and rising temperatures will significantly impact the economy and the GDP by 2.8 per cent besides pushing millions of people towards economically vulnerable situations by 2050. The RBI said, “India could account for 34 million of the projected 80 million global job losses from heat stress associated productivity decline by 2030 (World Bank, 2022). Further, up to 4.5 per cent of India’s GDP could be at risk by 2030 owing to lost labour hours from extreme heat and humidity conditions.” The global implications of heatwaves are even worse as it could kill 14.5 million people, as per the World Economic Forum. Despite these timely warnings from credible institutions, nationally and globally, we have mostly failed in tackling the persistent challenge of heatwaves.
Deadly Heatwaves Impact Economically Vulnerable Communities Badly
Most of the people who are forced to face and suffer the deadly consequences of heatwaves are from the economically vulnerable sections of the society. This threat is only poised to increase given the nature of jobs that the majority of Indians are involved in. For instance, 80 per cent of India’s workforce is involved in the informal sector, which means they are going to be the first victims of the climate change crisis and heatwaves. So far, heatwaves have been one of the most underestimated climate risks in India. This has mostly been the case in poorer northern states such as Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Odisha, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.
Not taking timely and effective actions against the deteriorating situation could cost India so heavily as it impacts the real time livelihoods. A past report by the World Bank highlights that India could lose 34 million jobs from direct effects of heat stress as it will be one of the critical reasons for decline in productivity by 2030. Another big section of emerging India’s workforce comprises gig workers, who are going to suffer. A NITI Aayog report reveals that gig workers’ population is set to increase from 7.7 million to 23.5 million by 2030.
Agriculture is one of the most heatwaves-prone sectors, which contributes about 18 percent to the GDP. It is no more a myth that rising temperatures adversely impact crop production, its quality and yields. There have been many instances where extreme heatwaves have destroyed crops and caused damage to the farmers. Not taking active actions will also disrupt the food supply chain, kill animals, vegetables that could plunge us into inflation and economic uncertainties. These persistent challenges get compounded due to lack of climate adaptation knowledge, inadequate measures, and absence of bottom-top policies on heatwaves in India. Addressing several other gaps related to heatwaves, climate risk assessment, timely response, targeted methods and community-led approaches can play a significant role in making our cities and villages more climate resilient and better equipped to deal with heatwaves’ challenges. There is also a pressing lack of local and hyper-local context required to prepare plans and ensure capacity building to deal with heatwaves. Above all, what we need is climate response and not reaction for effective climate action.
Written by Shubham Thakur (Editor at Disaster News)
Shubham Thakur is a climate policy analyst, educator, and corporate sustainability expert with over 5 years of experience