India Faces Unmatched Climate Toll: 247B Labor Hours Lost in 2024

In 2024, India faced unprecedented climate tolls, losing 247 billion labor hours to heat and witnessing over 1.7 million deaths due to air pollution, as reported by The Lancet.

The 2025 report from The Lancet revealed that India suffered a staggering 247 billion potential labor hours lost in 2024 due to extreme heat exposure linked to climate variability and change.
Air pollution in India was responsible for over 1.7 million deaths in 2022, showcasing the urgent health crisis exacerbated by fossil fuel reliance and inadequate environmental policies.
The findings highlight that 12 out of 20 health risk indicators measured by The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change set alarming new records last year, emphasizing the severity of climate change impacts.

Why It Matters

This situation illustrates the profound health and economic challenges posed by climate change in India, underscoring the imperative for urgent policy reforms and global cooperation to combat the escalating crisis.