India Would Warm by 3°C or Higher by the End of this Century: How to Cope with It?

Climate change has emerged as one of the most crucial challenges of the twenty-first century, with far-reaching consequences for ecosystems, economies, and societies worldwide. In tropical countries such as India, the agricultural activities of working labour which involves higher levels of physical exertion had been badly affected by the summer time heat stress in recent years. For example, February 2025 was India’s hottest in 125 years, with many states breaching 40°C. The unusual warming at several locations in India is expected to increase faster in coming decades and could become vulnerable to physiological acclimatization among the city dwellers as well as farmers in rural areas carrying out activities in outdoor and indoor work places. Other extreme weather events like floods and droughts are also becoming more frequent and intense, disrupting communities and the infrastructure they rely on. Worsening storms and floods have continued to inundate entire cities; crippling droughts parch farmland; and intensifying climate risks threaten water supplies. India seems to be on track for a 3°C rise in temperature or higher over the pre-industrial average by 2100. In addition to preventing further climate change through appropriate mitigation measures such as phasing out use of fossil fuels, and renewable energy and bioenergy generation, it is of fundamental interest to analyse the existing impacts and implement appropriate adaptation measures and strengthen our early warning systems. Managing water sustainably together with building more efficient irrigation systems and better drainage, restoration of forest ecosystems in degraded areas and improve land and forest management through nature-based solutions for increasing food production, seems fundamental to climate resilience in India. A clear and consistent Sector-Specific Policies and Regulations to support NDC Implementation in India with a tailored intervention for high emission sectors is needed.