Manya Rathore
Research expert covering India
Climate change in India - statistics & facts
The effects of climate change in India are becoming more prevalent every year. 2024 was the hottest year on record for the South Asian country, with an annual mean temperature of 25.75 degrees Celsius, 0.65 degrees above the average between 1991 and 2020. The increase in temperatures is already affecting Indian weather patterns, bringing consequences, like a harder to predict monsoon season, droughts, and flooding. Although India’s government has set emission reduction targets, they are likely not ambitious enough to slow down the effects of an already changing climate.
Climate change, combined with other meteorological phenomena like El Niño, is modifying the delicate monsoon pattern and bringing a harder-to-forecast rainy season. This causes both extended periods of no precipitation and sudden abnormal episodes of torrential rain, resulting in drought in some areas and flooding in others. For instance, the 2023 monsoon season experienced significant fluctuations, reporting a general rain deficiency across the country. The East and North-East regions were the most affected, with almost 20 percent less rain than the average. From September 2023 until August 2024, around a quarter of the Indian territory was affected by drought. In 2024, the monsoon season stabilized, with the country receiving more rain than the previous year and therefore appeasing the dry conditions.
Despite such advancements, India’s economy still depends significantly on coal-generated electricity. Modi's government has stated that India is committed to meeting its population’s energy needs, and that the country will rely on coal power until the objective of a developed India is achieved. Nevertheless, the South-Asian nation has set targets to reduce its emissions intensity by 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and to reach carbon neutrality by 2070.
Although India is moving forward with its clean energy transition, experts agree that the country’s current climate pledges will not be enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. With climate change already impacting the lives and livelihoods of millions across India, more and more are likely to be affected in the future without more ambitious global action.
The monsoon is changing
One of, if not the most, important meteorological events in India is the monsoon season. Every year, the summer monsoon irrigates fields and fills aquifers, driving India's economy – which depends, in big part, on activities that need a predictable amount of rainfall, like agriculture.Climate change, combined with other meteorological phenomena like El Niño, is modifying the delicate monsoon pattern and bringing a harder-to-forecast rainy season. This causes both extended periods of no precipitation and sudden abnormal episodes of torrential rain, resulting in drought in some areas and flooding in others. For instance, the 2023 monsoon season experienced significant fluctuations, reporting a general rain deficiency across the country. The East and North-East regions were the most affected, with almost 20 percent less rain than the average. From September 2023 until August 2024, around a quarter of the Indian territory was affected by drought. In 2024, the monsoon season stabilized, with the country receiving more rain than the previous year and therefore appeasing the dry conditions.
On the good path but still not enough
As the third biggest greenhouse gas emitter in the world, India has a big task ahead, to not only protect its citizens from the effects of climate change but also to transition as fast as possible to a carbon-neutral economy. Actions are already being taken toward this goal, including a minimum renewable purchase obligation from power companies to increase to 43 percent by 2030. India is already one of the largest renewable energy producers in the world.Despite such advancements, India’s economy still depends significantly on coal-generated electricity. Modi's government has stated that India is committed to meeting its population’s energy needs, and that the country will rely on coal power until the objective of a developed India is achieved. Nevertheless, the South-Asian nation has set targets to reduce its emissions intensity by 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and to reach carbon neutrality by 2070.
Although India is moving forward with its clean energy transition, experts agree that the country’s current climate pledges will not be enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. With climate change already impacting the lives and livelihoods of millions across India, more and more are likely to be affected in the future without more ambitious global action.
