Scientists, observers blame climate change for deadly heatwaves in UP

New Delhi, 23rd June 2023: According to research conducted by the Climate Shift Index (CSI), climate change is doubted to have doubled the likelihood of a hot wave in Uttar Pradesh, which recently swept through the state, causing several hospitalisations.

CSI is a tool developed by Climate Central, an independent group of scientists and communicators based in the United States that quantifies the contribution of climate change to daily temperatures.

In the five days leading up to Monday, 68 patients perished at the district hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia due to a brutal heat wave in the region. Officials, however, stated that just two persons died due to heat stroke. According to media accounts, additional deaths in the adjoining Deoria district were due to the high heat.

Climate Central researchers used CSI to determine how frequently and how far temperatures have deviated from the historical average. A higher index shows greater change in comparison to the past.

Levels between two and five indicate that climate change increased the likelihood of those temperatures by two to five times.

According to the analysis, certain portions of Uttar Pradesh achieved CSI levels of three, suggesting that temperatures have grown at least three times more likely due to climate change.