May heatwave in India 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than warmest heatwave

New Delhi, June 7

Heatwaves similar to those experienced in May in India are almost 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the warmest heat waves previously observed in the country, according to a new rapid attribution study by an independent group of climate scientists and researchers.

The analysts at ClimaMeter said the intense and prolonged heat wave India endured in May was a result of the naturally occurring El Nino phenomenon — unusual warming of the ocean surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean — and the rapidly increasing concentration of greenhouse gases — primarily carbon dioxide and methane — in the atmosphere.   

The researchers analysed how events similar to the high temperature in India’s May heatwave changed in the present (2001–2023) compared to what they would have looked like if they had occurred in the past (1979–2001).

“The temperature changes show that similar events produce temperatures in the present climate at least 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than what they would have been in the past over a large area of the region analysed. The precipitation changes do not show any significant variations,” the analysis read.

“ClimaMeter’s findings underscore that heatwaves in India are reaching unbearable temperature thresholds because of fossil fuels burning,” said Davide Faranda of French National Centre for Scientific Research.

“There are no technological solutions for adapting Indian metropoles for temperatures approaching 50 degrees Celsius. We should all act now to reduce CO2 emissions and avoid exceeding vital temperature thresholds in large areas of the subtropics,” he said.

Gianmarco Mengaldo of National University of Singapore said the findings show the complex interplay between natural variability and climate change, with the latter playing an important role in critical synoptic-weather-pattern changes in tropical and subtropical regions that may significantly aggravate heatwaves in the near future.

The world is witnessing weather extremes under a combined effect of the 2023-24 El Nino and human-caused climate change.

May 2024 was the warmest May ever and the last 12 consecutive months — June 2023 to May 2024 — have broken temperature records for each corresponding month, according to the European climate agency Copernicus.

Northwest India and parts of the central region reeled under a punishing heatwave in May which tested India’s disaster preparedness, with several states reporting heat-related deaths.

There are concerns that heat waves in April and May have played a role in the lower-than-usual voter turnout during the seven-phase general election in India that began on April 19 and ended on June 1, the second longest after the 1951-52 parliamentary elections.