Super El Nino heat projected to cause thousands of deaths in India
Source:The Hindu ↗
কেন এটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ
This report directly highlights the intersection of climate change (El Nino phenomena), public health crises, and human mortality, making it a crucial topic for GS Paper 3 (Environment, Disaster Management) and GS Paper 1 (Climatology/Geography).
সারসংক্ষেপ
A recent study warns that a 'Super El Niño' and the resulting extreme heat could lead to nearly half a million additional deaths globally, with India alone projected to experience 15,800 extra heat-related fatalities. The report highlights the compounding threats of climate change and extreme meteorological patterns on human health, calling for urgent public health interventions and climate adaptation frameworks.
মূল বিষয়
- A 'Super El Niño' is projected to cause 15,800 additional heat-related deaths in India, as per a recent international research report.
- Globally, the El Niño-driven extreme heat could cause nearly half a million additional deaths.
- The findings underscore the severe intersection between climate change, extreme weather phenomena like El Niño, and public health vulnerabilities.
- Experts emphasize the urgent need for heat action plans, robust healthcare preparedness, and climate adaptation strategies to protect vulnerable populations.
গুরুত্বপূর্ণ শব্দ
Super El Niño
An exceptionally strong El Niño event characterized by significantly warmer sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, severely disrupting global climate patterns and increasing extreme weather and mortality.
UPSC context
UPSC CSE General Studies Paper I (Geography - Climatology) and Paper III (Environment and Disaster Management), testing understanding of ENSO impacts.
Climate Impact Lab
A research group based at the University of Chicago that combines economic and climate data to project the local and global human and economic costs of climate change.
UPSC context
UPSC CSE General Studies Paper III (Environment, Climate Change Reports), useful for citing data on climate-induced mortality and adaptation.
প্রিলিমস ফাঁদ
El Niño universally causes drought and uniform extreme heat spikes across the entirety of the Indian subcontinent.
Aspirants often assume El Niño causes widespread drought and uniform temperature spikes across India, ignoring that impacts vary regionally and interact with positive/negative Indian Ocean Dipole phases.
সংযুক্ত স্থির ধারণা
What is the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle and how does it impact the Indian Monsoon?
- Pacific Warming: Abnormal warming of surface waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean disrupts normal trade winds.
- Monsoon Suppression: Weakens the pressure gradient between the Indian Ocean and the subcontinent, frequently resulting in deficient monsoon rainfall and prolonged dry spells over India.
- IOD Interaction: Often counterbalanced or reinforced by the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), where a positive IOD can sometimes offset negative monsoon impacts of El Niño.
আন্তঃবিষয় প্যাটার্ন
El Niño extremes and National Disaster Management Frameworks
Extreme weather events are increasingly recognized under Disaster Management Act guidelines, linking meteorological phenomena directly to national disaster relief funding and district-level mitigation planning.
Climate mortality and urban occupational health vulnerabilities
Heatwave mortality disproportionately impacts urban informal workers and outdoor laborers, tying climate adaptation directly to occupational health, labor rights, and social protection floors.
El Niño mechanism + economic/mortality impacts in South Asia is a perennial favorite for UPSC statement-based Prelims questions.
সংযুক্ত PYQ · 4
সংযুক্ত PYQ · 4
- 2017PrelimsGS1
With reference to 'Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)' sometimes mentioned in the news while forecasting Indian monsoon, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. IOD phenomenon is characterised by a difference in sea surface temperature between tropical Western Indian Ocean and tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean. 2. An IOD phenomenon can influence an El Nino's impact on the monsoon. Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- 2011PrelimsGS1
La Nina is suspected to have caused recent floods in Australia. How is La Nina different from El Nino? 1. La Nina is characterised by unusually cold ocean temperature in equatorial Indian Ocean whereas El Nino is characterised by unusually warm ocean temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. 2. El Nino has adverse effect on south-west monsoon of India, but La Nina has no effect on monsoon climate. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 2025PrelimsGS1
The World Bank warned that India could become one of the first places where wet-bulb temperatures routinely exceed 35 °C. Which of the following statements best reflect(s) the implication of the above-said report? I. Peninsular India will most likely suffer from flooding, tropical cyclones and droughts. II. The survival of animals including humans will be affected as shedding of their body heat through perspiration becomes difficult. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- 2017MainsGS3
'Climate change' is a global problem. How India will be affected by climate change? How Himalayan and coastal states of India will be affected by climate change?
