Record-breaking heat increased vulnerability of half of Delhi's population: WMO report

The World Meteorological Department, in a report titled ‘United in Science’, stated that Delhi experienced five heatwaves and a record-breaking increase between March and May of 2022.

Between March and May, Delhi experienced five heatwaves with record-breaking temperatures reaching up to 49.2 degrees Celsius which increased the vulnerability of half of the city's population which lives in low-income, informal settlements, a report by the World Meteorological Department (WMO) said.

The report titled 'United in Science' released on Tuesday also cited a recent attribution study which concluded that climate change made this prolonged hot weather in Delhi 30 times more likely and that the same event would have been about 1 degree Celsius cooler in a pre-industrial climate.

The report said that by the 2050s, over 1.6 billion people living in over 970 cities will be regularly exposed to three-month average temperatures reaching at least 35 degrees Celsius.

According to the WMO, the number of weather-related disasters has increased by a factor of five over the past 50 years, claiming on average the lives of 115 people and causing USD 202 million in losses daily.

The report showed greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise to record highs. Fossil fuel emission rates are now above pre-pandemic levels after a temporary drop due to lockdowns.

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The ambition of emissions reduction pledges for 2030 needs to be seven times higher to be in line with the 1.5 degree Celsius goal of the Paris Agreement, it said.