Delhi's Scorching Summers: A Lethal Heatwave Odyssey
A report by Greenpeace India links soaring temperatures in Delhi with an alarming increase in unrecognised deaths. From 2015 to 2024, June to August has seen extreme UTCI levels and rising fatalities, impacting especially the city's marginalized. Heat related deaths could rise by 370% with a 2°C global warming.
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A recent report by Greenpeace India sheds light on the alarming rise in unrecognised deaths in Delhi during the summer months of June to August over the past 12 years. The study links this grim statistic to prolonged exposure to soaring temperatures in the national capital.
Titled 'Death and Degree', the report highlights the connection between extreme heat and mortality in Delhi. Analyzing data from 2015 to 2024, it identifies June to September as months with consistently high values of the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), despite these not being the peak heat months by air temperature measures.
The report underscores a worrying trend where heat stress now extends into the monsoon season, with humidity exacerbating already perilous thermal conditions. The study also correlates this trend with an increase in deaths among marginalized individuals, showing a sharp rise in fatalities from 2019 to 2024, and points to systemic failures in protecting vulnerable populations.
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