Inside the $11.5-million plan to address extreme heat in South Asia
A new $11.5 million regional push aims to turn climate science into health action as extreme heat tightens its grip on South Asia, where temperatures are rising nearly twice as fast as the global average.
At Mumbai Climate Week, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)-WHO Climate and Health Joint Programme, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Wellcome announced two integrated initiatives to protect vulnerable communities from intensifying heatwaves.
These projects mark the first components of a broader regional strategy to confront a rapidly escalating threat to human health and economic stability.
“Few regions feel the impacts of extreme heat as sharply as South Asia,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. “We all know that every death primarily due to excess heat can be prevented and heat health action plans are saving lives.”
Where the funding will go
The South Asia Climate Health Desk, established under the joint programme and implemented with the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and the India Meteorological Department, will improve how weather and climate data are translated into public health action.
This desk is expected to develop early warning systems, risk assessments and decision-support tools to help authorities respond before heatwaves peak.
A second initiative, the South Asia Scientific Research Consortium, backed by a Rockefeller Foundation grant to the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune, will deepen scientific understanding of how extreme heat affects different populations.
Under this program, researchers aim to develop tailored heat-risk thresholds to strengthen preparedness plans and community-level adaptation.
Why heat is a major problem in South Asia
In India and Pakistan, pre-monsoon temperatures regularly exceed 50°C. Heat-related mortality across the region now surpasses 200,000 deaths annually.
Beyond the health toll, extreme heat is eroding productivity. In 2024 alone, India lost an estimated 247 billion potential labor hours due to heat exposure, translating to roughly $194 billion in income losses, according to the Lancet Countdown.
IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the partnership will strengthen the “science-to-services pathway” and improve early warning support for health agencies.
These investments respond to calls by António Guterres for urgent global action on extreme heat, especially in South Asia, the world’s most populated region.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
