New Delhi, November 18 (IANS). Global temperatures are increasing due to climate change. It is having a big impact on India too. More than 70 percent of Indians have personally admitted to experiencing extreme heat, drought and water scarcity. This was revealed in a report released on Tuesday.
According to the report of Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, this survey was conducted on more than 19,000 people between 2022 and 2025. according to this
States and districts in India have different perceptions about weather experiences and the role of climate change.
Nationally, in the last 12 months, 71% of Indians have experienced severe heat waves, 59% have experienced agricultural pests and diseases, 59% have experienced power cuts, 53% have experienced pollution, 52% have experienced drought, 52% have experienced water scarcity and 51% have experienced severe air pollution.
“As India grows rapidly, it is important to understand how people in different states and districts perceive and experience climate change. These maps can help local and state leaders create climate action plans that reflect people’s lived realities and build sustainable public support for solutions,” said Dr Jagdish Thakar, a senior lecturer at the University of Queensland and one of the lead authors.
In India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh, 78 percent of adults have personally experienced extreme heat, the highest in the country. Similarly, 80 percent of adults in Rajasthan, Haryana and Odisha had the same experience. In comparison, more than half of adults in Kerala and Tamil Nadu shared the same experience.
Only 35 percent of Indians across the country have experienced severe cyclones, but in Odisha, the number rises to 64 percent. Odisha was badly affected by Cyclone Dana in October 2024.
Odisha is also ahead in terms of drought. More than two-thirds of the people here experience drought and water scarcity.
“Data on how people in India are experiencing the impacts of climate change can help decision-makers better understand public risk and create climate adaptation, communication and sustainable development policies that are appropriate for Indians,” said Dr. Jennifer Marlon, lead researcher at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
–IANS
SHK/VC
