Friday, March 29, 2024

Extreme weather kills 2,183 this year; 907 die due to lightning strikes

India saw a big jump in extreme weather events such as heatwaves and lightning strikes this year, the Ministry of Earth Sciences said in a report submitted to parliament on Wednesday.

Weather-related deaths are at their highest in three years, as scientists blame climate change for the heavy toll.

There were nearly eight times as many heatwaves, 27 in all, and lightning strikes rose more than 111 times, killing 907 people. Thunderstorms increased more than five times to 240, Reuters reported.

This year’s 2,183 deaths due to such events until November were the highest since 2019’s 3,017.

Lightning and floods and heavy rains accounted for 78% of the deaths this year, the data showed.

India is the world’s third-largest carbon polluter, though its per-capita emissions are much lower than many developed countries.

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