Extreme heat has become a growing public emergency, depriving people of basic necessities and threatening their right to live in a healthy, safe, and dignified environment.
The convergence of climate science and socioeconomic data suggests that heat stress is no longer a future threat for Indian agriculture – it is unfolding now.
The long-term assessment of the CRI 2025, covering data from 1993 to 2022, places India as the sixth most affected country globally due to extreme weather events. Over this period, India reported a staggering loss of 80,000 lives and economic damages amounting to $200 billion.
The report states that 54 million students in India alone were impacted, primarily due to severe heatwaves that led to widespread school closures and changes in academic schedules.
The UN appeal comes at a moment when humanitarian funding is already stretched by multiple crises. While CERF has provided rapid support, broader donor commitments remain insufficient relative to the scale of projected need.
South Asia’s lead crisis is not inevitable. Experience elsewhere demonstrates that decisive regulation, industrial formalisation and community-level interventions can sharply reduce exposure.
The UN appeal comes at a moment when humanitarian funding is already stretched by multiple crises. While CERF has provided rapid support, broader donor commitments remain insufficient relative to the scale of projected need.