Heatwaves in India, Pak are mostly strengthened by human-driven climate change: Report

Mumbai: The heatwave in South Asian neighbours India and Pakistan was primarily influenced by human-driven climate change, which intensified the meteorological conditions that led to the event, according to new analysis by ClimaMeter.

The study found that Meteorological conditions leading to the April 2025 India and Pakistan heatwave are up to 4°C warmer in the present, as compared with the second half of the 20th century.

The study, which looks at changes in weather patterns since 1950, concludes that the warmer temperatures during the India & Pakistan heatwave are mostly attributable to human-induced climate change, with natural climate variability playing a minor role.

ClimaMeter's analysis, based on Copernicus ERA5 data, shows significant anomalies in the region's surface pressure, wind speed, and temperature patterns, with current conditions being wetter, less windier, and colder than in previous decades.

The study indicates that the changes in precipitation and wind speed can be directly attributed to human-driven climate change, emphasizing the growing risk of extreme weather events in Australia.

This research is part of ClimaMeter, a project funded by the European Union and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), according to a press release issued here.