This post summarizes a new joint analysis by Climate Central and World Weather Attribution that documents how extreme heat has worsened since the 2015 Paris Agreement and why that escalation matters for India and other vulnerable regions.
I explain the report’s key findings, what the changing statistics mean for public health and work, and why stronger emissions cuts and adaptation financing are urgent to avoid worsening inequality and widespread loss of life and livelihoods.
Key findings from the Climate Central — World Weather Attribution report
The report compares heat impacts at multiple global warming levels and shows that even the modest rise from 1.0°C (2015) to 1.3°C (2025) has already translated into materially worse heat extremes.
It also evaluates projected outcomes under higher warming scenarios — 2.6°C with current pledges and a pre‑Paris baseline of 4°C under business‑as‑usual assumptions.
These comparisons make clear that current commitments reduce but do not eliminate dangerous heat exposures.
The study highlights several stark facts: heat has become the world’s deadliest extreme weather, contributing to about 500,000 deaths per year globally.
The extra 0.3°C of warming since 2015 has produced approximately 11 additional hot days per year on average worldwide.
Under higher warming trajectories those additional hot days jump dramatically — to 57 days per year at 2.6°C and 114 days at 4°C.
What those numbers mean for people and places
Translated to lived experience, more hot days mean longer heat seasons, more nights that don’t cool down, higher risk of heat‑related illness, and mounting stress on infrastructure like power and water.
The report makes it plain that partial progress on emissions helps, but it does not remove the need for urgent adaptation measures and targeted support for vulnerable populations.
India as a case study: pre‑monsoon heat and systemic risks
India’s pre‑monsoon heat waves are a vivid example of how human‑driven warming amplifies regional threats.
The analysis estimates the 2022 event was made about 30 times more likely and was roughly 2.1°C hotter because of anthropogenic warming.
That episode led to more than 90 reported deaths, widespread crop losses, glacial‑lake floods, forest fires, and severe power outages that compounded the health impacts.
These local impacts are symptomatic of a larger pattern: as heat intensifies, the same vulnerabilities — outdoor informal labor, inadequate housing, unreliable electricity, and limited health services — produce disproportionate harm to the poor and elderly.
Policy gaps and urgent priorities
India has rolled out 37 state and city heat action plans, which is an important step forward.
However, the report criticizes many of these plans as insufficient: they frequently miss informal workers, lack reliable financing, and do not scale rapidly during extreme events.
- Reduce emissions faster: Deeper cuts are required to limit the growth of dangerous heat.
- Finance adaptation: Substantially more resources must flow to heat preparedness, cooling infrastructure, and public health systems.
- Protect vulnerable workers: Policies must address informal labor, provide cooling breaks, and safeguard livelihoods.
Here is the source article for this story: India among hardest hit as extreme heat worsens since 2015