‘State of The Climate Report’: In 2023, on an average, 6 deaths a day in India due to climate-linked disasters 

“There were 1,280 deaths due to thunderstorms and lightning; 880 deaths due to heavy rainfall and floods; and 160 heat wave fatalities in the country last year, says an international report.”

Nidhi Jamwal*

The State of the Climate 2023 report is out confirming the worst fears. Global temperatures reached record highs on land and in the ocean last year. Greenhouse gas concentrations, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, which contribute to global warming, were also at an all-time high, according to the international report.

South Asia experienced above-normal temperatures in 2023. The annual mean land surface air temperature averaged over India was 0.65°C above the 1981–2010 average, making it the second-warmest year on record since nationwide records commenced in 1901, according to the new report released on August 22.

According to the report, “in recent years in India, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning strikes have been among the most common causes of fatalities.” In 2023, thunderstorms and lightning claimed around 1,280 lives across the country. On just one day, 4 July 2023, approximately 43 people died due to lightning strikes associated with a severe thunderstorm that occurred in parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.

Another 880 people died due to heavy rainfall and floods, and there were 160 fatalities due to heat waves in the country last year. This adds up to 2,320 deaths in 2023, due to climate-linked disasters in the country, which comes to an average of more than six deaths a day.

The State of the Climate 2023 is an international annual review of the world’s climate, led by scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information and published by the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 

The peer-reviewed publication released each summer is based on contributions from nearly 600 scientists across 60 countries. It provides the most comprehensive update on Earth’s climate indicators, notable weather events, and other data collected by environmental monitoring stations and instruments located on land, water, ice and in space. The recent report is the 34th issuance of the annual assessment now known as State of the Climate, first published in 1996.

The State of the Climate 2023 is divided into various sections — Global Climate, Global Oceans, The Tropics, The Arctic, Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, and Regional Climates. It is an authoritative annual summary of the global climate published as a supplement to the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

“This report documents and shares a startling, but well-established picture: We are experiencing a warming world as I speak, and the indicators and impacts are seen throughout the planet. The report is another signpost to current and future generations,” said Derek Arndt, Director of the National Centers for Environmental Information, during the launch of the report.