Large population of the country faced dangerous heat, this year June-August was the hottest since 1970

A new report by US-based climatologists said India witnessed the second hottest June-to-August season this year since 1970. Over a third of the population witnessed dangerous heat for at least seven days in a period when temperatures remained above 35 degrees Celsius.

This report by 'Climate Central' says that due to climate change the temperature was probably three times higher on 29 days during these three months. This period, June to August 2024, was the second hottest season in India since 1970 when reliable satellite records were available.

The report added that India accounted for the largest population in South Asia which witnessed extreme heat throughout this period. More than 2.05 crore people were affected by the rise in temperatures non-stop for 60 days. According to scientists, more than 42.6 crore faced extreme severe heat in their territories for at least seven days during this time. The temperature in this period was over 90 percent above normal.

More than two billion people-25 percent of the world's population experienced extreme heat for 30 days or more. Climate change is likely to increase that three times. People in many cities of India felt the temperatures as very high. Cities like Thiruvananthapuram, Vasai-Virar, Kavaratti, Thane, Mumbai and Sri Vijayapuram (Port Blair) were the most affected by it, each experiencing three times the heat for more than 70 days.

In 2022, Mumbai had 54 days of extreme heat. Delhi and Kanpur recorded a dangerous long-term heat above the average temperatures of 39 degrees Centigrade. According to Andrew Pershing, Vice President for Science at Climate Central, "Climate change clearly caused this extreme heat, putting billions of people around the world at risk through those three months.".

Vaibhav Pratap Singh, executive director of the Climate and Sustainability Initiative, said that the adverse effects of climate change are clearly visible on people and businesses across the country. Every year we are facing severe climate-related events like floods, droughts and heat waves. These are causing great harm to life and livelihood.