This is an archive article published on November 14, 2019

Climate change set to undo health gains, to affect kids most: Lancet study

Children will be among the worst sufferers from a he rise in infectious diseases, the study said, pointing out that cholera is rising 3 per cent a year in India since the early 1980s with climatic suitability for Vibrio bacteria, which cause the disease.

Written by: Abantika Ghosh, Anuradha Mascarenhas

4 min readNew Delhi, PuneUpdated: Nov 14, 2019 07:06 AM IST

As temperatures rise, infants will be vulnerable to malnutrition and rising food prices.

Rising temperatures due to climate change and air pollution could undo India’s hard-earned public health gains of the last two decades, according to a new study in The Lancet.

Children will be among the worst sufferers from a he rise in infectious diseases, the study said, pointing out that cholera is rising 3 per cent a year in India since the early 1980s with climatic suitability for Vibrio bacteria, which cause the disease.

As temperatures rise, infants will be vulnerable to malnutrition and rising food prices. The study said average yield potential of maize and rice has declined almost 2 per cent in India since the 1960s, and malnutrition is already responsible for two-thirds of under-5 deaths.

Throughout their adolescence, it forecast, the impact of air pollution will worsen — total energy supply from coal increased 11 per cent in India between 2016 and 2018, and dangerous levels of outdoor fine particulate air pollution (PM 2.5) contributing to over 5,29,500 premature deaths in 2016, over 97,400 of these resulting from coal.

Poornima Prabhakaran from the Public Health Foundation of India, co-author of the study, said: “With its huge population and high rates of healthcare inequality, poverty and malnutrition, few countries are likely to suffer from the health effects of climate change as much as India. Diarrhoeal infections, a major cause of child mortality, will spread into new areas, while deadly heatwaves, similar to the one in 2015 that killed thousands of people in India, could soon become the norm.”

Explained

Why India has to move off coal

To dramatically reduce emissions by 2050, and to meet multiple Sustainable Development Goals, India must shift from coal and towards renewable energy, says study co-author Poornima Prabhakaran. The country also needs to enhance public transport, increase use of cleaner fuels, and improve waste management and agricultural production practices.

She said: “Over the past two decades, the Government of India has launched many initiatives and programmes to address a variety of diseases and risk factors. But this report shows that public health gains achieved over the past 50 years could soon be reversed by changing climate.”

The ‘Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change’ is a comprehensive yearly analysis tracking progress across 41 key indicators, demonstrating what action to meet Paris Agreement targets – or business as usual – means for human health. The project is a collaboration between 120 experts from 35 institutions, including the World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank, University College London, and Tsinghua University, Beijing.

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Extreme weather events, the report points out, will intensify into adulthood, with India seeing an additional 21 million people exposed to wildfires between 2001 and 2004, and 22 billion additional hours of work lost due to extreme heat since 2000 (12 billion in agriculture).

The authors call for health impact of climate change to be at forefront of the agenda at the UN Climate Conference (COP25) next month.

Nick Watts, executive director, The Lancet Countdown, said, “Children are particularly vulnerable to the health risks of a changing climate. Their bodies and immune systems are still developing, leaving them more susceptible to disease and environmental pollutants. The damage done in early childhood is persistent and pervasive, with health consequences lasting for a lifetime.”

Dr Sundeep Salvi, director, Centre for Respiratory Disease, and one of the experts on the national steering committee to find solutions to air pollution, told The Indian Express, “This report is a loud wake-up call for the world, and India in particular.” Dehydration, mental ailments, respiratory infections and obstructive airways disease have been reported due to climate change, and India seems to be doing very little in terms of developing a national action plan on climate change, he said.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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