The ‘2022 Lancet countdown on health and climate change: health at the mercy of fossil fuels’ report released on Wednesday recorded that more than 3 lakh people died in India due to exposure to particulate matter from fossil fuel combustion in 2020.
The Lancet Countdown report suggested that the world’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels increases the risk of infectious disease and heat-related illness. This year’s report finds that a “persistent fossil fuel addiction” is amplifying the health impacts of the current crises the world faces.
It also noted that extreme heatwaves in 2020 impacted 98 million more people suffering from food insecurity than annually from 1981 to 2010.
The report noted that people from vulnerable age groups were exposed to 3.7 billion more heatwave days last year than annually from 1986-2005. It is estimated that heat-related deaths globally have increased by two-thirds over the last two decades.
According to the report, from 2000-2004 to 2017-2021 heat-related deaths increased by 55 per cent in India while from 2012-2021, infants under one year old experienced an average of 72 million more person-days of heatwaves per year, compared to 1985-2005. Meanwhile, adults over the age of 65 in India experienced 301 million more person-days during the same time period.
Climate change was also found to be affecting the distribution and transmission of many infectious diseases, including vector-borne, food-borne, and waterborne diseases. The report showed that climatic suitability for the transmission of dengue increased by about 11% for Aedes aegypti and 12% for Aedes albopictus from 1951–60 to 2012–21. For India, the report adds that from 1951-1960 to 2012-2021, the number of months suitable for dengue transmission by Aedes Aegypti rose by 1.69%, reaching 5.6 months each year.
Data in this year’s report suggests that in the immediate term, climate change is affecting every pillar of food security. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events threaten crop yields directly shortening the growth season of crops by 9.3 days for maize, 1.7 days for rice and 6 days for winter and spring wheat.
The duration of the growing season for maize in India decreased by 2%, compared to a 1981-2010 baseline while rice and winter wheat have each decreased by 1%, the report stated.
In India, 45% of urban centers are classified as moderately green or above. Urban redesign that puts health first can provide increased green space that reduces urban heat, improves air quality, and benefits physical and mental health, the report stated.
Giving an indication of the economic loss, the report states that in 2021, Indians lost 16,720 crore potential labor hours due to heat exposure with income losses equivalent to about 5.4% of national GDP.
The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, published annually, is an international, multidisciplinary collaboration, dedicated to monitoring the evolving health profile of climate change, and providing an independent assessment of the delivery of commitments made by governments worldwide under the Paris Agreement. This report comes ahead of this year’s United Nations climate change conference (COP27), to be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The report represents the work of 99 experts from 51 institutions, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
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