Climate Change, Natural Resource Degradation and Human Health in India

Abstract

India is experiencing measurable, accelerating health impacts from climate change, transmitted principally through the degradation of natural resources such as air, water, forests and land. This review synthesises current epidemiological and environmental-health evidence on these pathways and evaluates the adequacy of India's governance response. A narrative review of peer-reviewed epidemiological and environmental-science literature, international and national surveillance reports, and Government of India policy documents published up to 2026 was conducted, with evidence organised thematically around four exposure pathways: extreme heat, air pollution, water and vector-borne disease, and extreme weather and food security. In 2024, the average Indian experienced approximately 19.8 heatwave days, of which roughly a third were attributable to climate change, with an estimated 247 billion potential labour hours lost to heat exposure nationally that year. Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was associated with an estimated 1.7 million premature deaths in India in 2022 alone, equivalent to roughly 9.5% of GDP in monetised mortality cost. Dengue incidence rose from 193,245 reported cases in 2021 to 233,251 in 2022, with transmission windows expanding seasonally and geographically. National and state climate-health governance instruments remain only partially integrated with natural resource regulation. Climate change is now a major, quantifiable driver of morbidity and mortality in India, operating through resource-mediated pathways that disproportionately burden outdoor workers, the urban poor and climate-vulnerable regions. Closing the gap between this evidence and India's governance response will require better-resourced surveillance, cross-sectoral impact assessment linking resource use to health outcomes, and stronger integration of climate, resource and health policy.