Aug 06, 2025
Aarushi BhaduryIndia's naturally hot and humid climate, combined with rising global temperatures, creates a dangerous situation. The study published in Advancing Earth and Space Science, used a measure called the Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) to show that extreme moist heat is a big issue.
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While heat is a concern during the entire monsoon season, the study found that moist heat extremes are much more frequent and severe during monsoon breaks. This is when the weather is hot, dry, and windy.
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From 1951 to 2020, the area in India exposed to dangerously high WBGT levels increased significantly. This exposed at least 670 million people to conditions that are a major threat to health and physical labor.
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The rise in extreme moist heat during monsoon breaks is directly linked to global warming. The study found a strong connection between rising global temperatures and the increase in this specific type of heat in India.
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The study created a risk map showing that many districts across India are highly vulnerable to extreme moist heat. The densely populated Indo-Gangetic plain and eastern coastal regions are particularly at risk.
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The WBGT metric shows that physical labor becomes challenging and dangerous when the value exceeds 31°C. During the periods studied, this threshold was often surpassed, leading to a significant drop in work performance.
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Extreme moist heat can cause a 30-40% decline in work performance. This is a major concern for India's large workforce in the agriculture and construction sectors, who spend their days working outdoors.
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Prolonged exposure to these conditions can lead to serious health problems like heat stroke and heat exhaustion. The study highlights the need for better policies and public health warnings to prevent these outcomes.
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The findings emphasize the need for new policies, especially for outdoor work. Adjusting working hours to avoid the hottest parts of the day is a key strategy to protect workers' health.
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The continuous increase in warm spells and monsoon breaks points to a future with even more extreme moist heat. This makes it crucial to understand these weather patterns and their relationship to global warming to develop effective solutions for the coming decades.
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