Climate Change and Health Risks in India

• In India, climate change is making people sicker by spreading more diseases, but its serious effects on health are often ignored.

About Climate Change

• Meaning: Climate change is the long-term alteration of global and regional climate patterns, including temperature, rainfall, and wind changes.
• Health Impact: It threatens clean air, safe water, nutritious food, and shelter, especially in countries like India, requiring health systems to adapt to new disease patterns and extreme weather events.

Key Drivers of Climate Change

• Natural Causes: Sun cycles and events like El Niño slightly change temperatures, and volcanic eruptions like Mount Pinatubo in 1991 temporarily cooled Earth.
• Earth’s Orbit Changes: Milankovitch cycles drive past ice ages, but minimal effect on current warming.
• Fossil Fuels: Burning fossil fuels produces 73% of global greenhouse gases, making the planet hotter.
• Deforestation & Agriculture: India lost 2.33 million ha of forests, and farming adds 18% of India’s GHGs through livestock and fertilisers.
• Cities & Waste: Cities like Delhi are 3–5°C hotter than rural areas, and India’s 62 million tonnes of waste releases potent methane.

Climate Change and Its Impacts on Human Health

• Climate change is increasingly affecting human health, food security, and the spread of diseases, posing complex socio-economic challenges across India.

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Expanding Disease Risk

• Rising Infections: Shifting seasons expand disease windows, increasing infections, allergies, and vector-borne diseases across new regions.
• Mosquito-Borne Spread: Warmer temperatures extend mosquito habitats, altering dengue patterns. E.g., Delhi-NCR cases now peak in November instead of September.
• Malaria Expansion: Malaria, once limited to the Gangetic Plains and central India, is emerging in cooler regions like Himachal Pradesh.

Health Impacts

• Respiratory Risks: Rising PM2.5 from energy use causes lung inflammation, asthma, & Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). E.g., Delhi-NCR often exceeds 150 µg/m³ in the summer.
• Cardiovascular Strain: Heat and pollution increase hypertension, heart attack, and stroke risks, especially for outdoor workers. E.g., Odisha, Telangana, Vidarbha report rising heat-stroke deaths.
• Kidney Damage: Chronic exposure to fine particulates impairs kidney function, reduces filtration efficiency, and worsens chronic kidney disease.
• Infant Vulnerability: Extreme heat and pollution raise preterm births and low birth weight risks. E.g., Mumbai and Delhi report increasing neonatal health concerns.

Food Security Impacts

• Crop Disruption: Extreme weather and unseasonal rains reduce agricultural output, causing food shortages. E.g., the delayed monsoon in 2023 affected kharif crops in Maharashtra.
• Nutrition Decline: Heat and climate stress reduce crop nutrient quality, increasing hidden hunger and micronutrient deficiencies in children.
• Livestock Stress: Rising temperatures cause heat stress in cattle, lowering milk production and compromising child nutrition. E.g., Heatwaves in Rajasthan reduced milk yields by 10–15%.
• Health Vulnerability: Food insecurity weakens immunity, making children and the elderly more prone to disease, compounding public health risks.

Structural Challenges in Climate-Linked Health

• Governance Fragmentation: Poor coordination among health, environmental, and disaster agencies delays climate crisis response, as seen during Delhi-NCR’s 2025 dengue surge.
• Infrastructure Deficit: Hospitals lack the capacity to handle heatwaves, vector-borne outbreaks, or climate emergencies. E.g., Odisha 2024–25 heatwave overwhelmed local hospitals.
• Surveillance Gaps: Weak real-time disease monitoring prevents early warnings and proactive interventions. E.g., Malaria spread in Himachal Pradesh went undetected initially due to limited monitoring.
• Urban Vulnerability: Inadequate sanitation and drainage exacerbate disease transmission following floods and waterlogging.

Way Forward

• Climate-Resilient Health System: Invest in climate-informed disease surveillance and early warning systems for heatwaves and vector-borne diseases. E.g., heat‑ready hospitals and mobile clinics.
• Green Cities: Incorporate green spaces and reflective surfaces to reduce urban heat by up to 4°C and minimise flooding.
• Data Integration: Develop robust data platforms linking climate, environmental and health datasets to inform policy and emergency responses
• Policy Coherence: Integrate climate‑health priorities into the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) & State Action Plans, aligning with SDG targets for health (SDG3) and climate action (SDG13).

“Climate change is no longer a distant threat but a pressing public health crisis in India.“ Urgent, transformative action on resilient health systems, green infrastructure, and integrated policies is essential.

Reference: The Hindu

PMF IAS Pathfinder for Mains – Question 627

Q. Climate change is no longer a distant threat but a current public health crisis in India. Critically examine its multi-dimensional health risks and suggest strategies to strengthen India’s climate-health resilience. (250 Words) (15 Marks)

Approach

• Introduction: Write a brief introduction about climate change and its impact on health.
• Body: Write key drivers of climate change, highlighting the multi-dimensional health risks and suggest strategies to strengthen India’s climate-health resilience.
• Conclusion: Emphasis on climate-resilient health systems, green policies to safeguard public health and ensure sustainable development.