Extreme heat or heat wave is one of the thirteen most significant meteorological phenomena highlighted by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its Climate Hazards and Vulnerability Atlas of India. Extreme heat broke global records in 2024, recognized as the hottest year since records began. Asia, which accounted for 45% of global heat-related deaths between 2000 and 2019, and India, where over a billion people face heatwaves annually, remain among the most affected regions. India’s annual average temperature increased by approximately 0.15°C per decade between 1951 and 2016. This has led to a non-linear increase in extreme heat impacts, resulting in over 24,000 heat-related deaths in India from 1992 to 2015. Globally, heatwaves are the deadliest natural hazard, claiming around 489,000 lives annually between 2000 and 2019.

Exposure to excessive heat can trigger a cascade of direct health consequences ranging from relatively mild discomfort to severe and potentially fatal medical emergencies. Heat cramps, one of the initial responses to heat overload followed by heat stroke which results in Rhabdomyolysis, a potentially life-threatening medical condition. Heat and humidity can also aggravate respiratory illness, dehydration and adversely affect mental condition too. Along with these human health risks, heat stress elevates the risk of workplace incidents and injuries leading to violation of right to health. The severity ranges on the lives of the factory workers that marks the reduction of both cognitive and physical capacity of workers. This results in substantial economic loses for the industries across the globe. Researchers suggest that by 2030, over 2% of the total working hours across the globe are expected to be lost annually due to excessively hot conditions. Furthermore, data indicates that the potential number of working hours lost due to heat stress has already increased significantly over the past two decades, highlighting the growing impact of this issue.

Owing to the concerns, CRB is currently exploring the impacts of heat waves on different industrial sectors, with a focus on textile which is one of the largest employers to India after agriculture. The key area of intervention will be labour productivity and wellbeing.