Our planet Earth has experienced a rise in its average temperature by 1°C from pre-industrial times in the 1800s. Though rising temperature is a normal phenomenon, our human activities have accelerated this heating of the Earth at an exponential rate. Terms like Greenhouse effect, global warming, climate change have become part and parcel of our everyday lives. Yet, we continue to ignore or delay our actions at local, national and global levels to reduce our carbon footprint  and lessen the heating of the earth. Globally scientists have warned of the irreversible and irreparable damages and losses to the planet earth, humankind and biodiversity if we do not aggressively cut our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and achieve net carbon zero emissions in the near future.

Climate change is a grave threat to our wellbeing and to a healthy planet. One of the most common pieces of evidence of climate change is the surge in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, erratic rainfall, floods, droughts, wildfires, cyclones, amongst others. It has been found that 495,000 human deaths globally are attributed to the extreme weather events from the 1999-2018 period.

The study has found that more than 75 percent of Indian districts, which are home to over 638 million people, are extreme climate event hotspots. Between 1970 and 2005, there were 250 extreme events. The period after 2005 recorded 310 extreme events and associated events, including slow onset events like heat waves and cold waves. India is currently facing a spell of severe heat waves across the country, with March 2022 being recorded as the hottest in 122 years. According to the IPCC report (2021-2022), India is projected to experience a high amount of rainfall and extreme vulnerability to flooding. India is also one of top 10 countries with intense and frequent cyclone projection. Due to global warming, Asian countries could experience an increase in drought conditions (5- 20%)by the end of this century.
Severe heat waves, which were rare in the past, have become yearly events in India with longer duration and more intense. India's northwestern Gujarat state has been the most affected. Parts of the state experienced heatwaves for 11 days in March. Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir — considered to be cooler areas of India — experienced heat waves as well. The 2021 and 2022 reports issued by the IPCC have warned that in South Asia, heatwaves and humidity-related heat stress are set to intensify. By the end of the century, the IPCC predicts South Asia will be one of the hardest-hit regions in the world by heat stress, and "deadly" heat waves could push the limits of human survivability. Along with heatwaves, marine heat waves are also increasing and threatening marine life. According to an Indian government report, the frequency of summer (April–June) heat waves over India is projected to be 3 to 4 times higher by the end of the twenty-first century as compared to the 1976–2005 period.

Climate change is directly increasing the summer monsoon in India, making it more volatile and erratic. In the last year, India, as a whole, received 129% 'over normal' rainfall. The summer monsoon in India plays a key role in agriculture productivity and impacts about one-fifth of the world population. Around 80% of the annual precipitation over India occurs during the summer season further providing water to the crop. It has been warned that too much or too little rain can cause catastrophic effects. Such extensive rainfall also leads to extreme flooding situations in India, further impacting agriculture, biodiversity and humankind. Since 2005, there has also been an abrupt surge in the number of extreme flood events in India.

According to the Indian government report, there has been a significant reduction in the annual frequency of tropical cyclones over the North Indian Ocean basin since the middle of the twentieth century (1951–2018). In contrast, the frequency of very severe cyclonic storms during the post-monsoon season has increased significantly (+1 event per decade) during the last two decades (2000–2018). The overall decrease in seasonal summer monsoon rainfall during the last 6–7 decades has led to an increased propensity for droughts in India according to an Indian government report. Both the frequency and spatial extent of droughts have increased significantly during 1951–2016. In particular, areas over central India, southwest coast, southern peninsula and north-eastern India have experienced more than 2 droughts per decade, on average, during this period. The area affected by drought has also increased by 1.3% per decade over the same period. As per IPCC 2022 report 411 million people living in 330 cities above 300,000 population are exposed to drought risk, which includes three Asian megacities Delhi (India), Karachi (Pakistan), and Kolkata (India).

Climate-related extremes have affected the productivity of all agricultural and fishery sectors. Droughts, floods and heatwaves contribute to reduced food availability and increased food prices, threatening food security, nutrition and livelihood of millions. Over the last 50 years, global agricultural productivity has been slowed down by climate change.

India, being an agro-based economy, is considered one of the most vulnerable countries affected by extreme climatic conditions threatening food security. The dual impact of rising sea levels and ground water scarcity will have a direct impact on the Indian agriculture sector. One of the chapters in the IPCC 2022 report says that wheat, pulses, coarse and cereal yields could fall by almost 9% by 2050 in the country. In South India maize production could decrease by 17% if emissions are high. "These disruptions to crop production are expected to cause price spikes in India, threatening food affordability, food security and economic growth". Further, rice production can decrease from 10% to 30%, whereas maize production can decrease from 25% to 70%, assuming a range of temperature increase from 1º to 4°C. "Continued climate change will also cause a decline in India's fisheries," says the report. Flooding will intensify in the Ganga and the Brahmaputra basins and crop production systems will be disrupted by droughts and water scarcity.

The IPCC 2022 report has warned that increased climate variability and extreme events are already driving migration and projecting longer-term climate change will increase migration flows. It is estimated that 22.5 million people are displaced annually by climate or weather-related disasters, and these figures are expected to increase in the future. In South Asia, cyclones, floods, and typhoons triggered internal displacement of 9.6 million people in 2019, almost 30% of total global displacements. In India alone, more than 4 million disaster-induced displacements occurred in 2019. Further, the IPCC report notes "Urban India is at much greater risk. There has been 35% urban growth in 2015-20. There will be 600 million more Indians in urban India in the next 15 years." According to a recent study, over 4.5 crore people will be forced to migrate from their homes in India by 2050 due to climate disasters, including floods, droughts, and cyclones, three times more than the present figures.

Rising temperature, increasing sea level, extreme weather conditions, threat to water, livelihood and food security and to the health of the citizens is costing India at an exponential rate. India is estimated to have suffered losses of almost USD 80 billion due to extreme climate events in the last two decades. According to an international study India has lost 3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on account of global warming of 1 degree celsius over pre-industrial levels, and risks losing 10% of its GDP in the extreme scenario of a 3 degree celsius increase.

In a recent study it has been found that over the next 50 years, the top five industries likely to be most impacted by climate-related losses in India are services, manufacturing, retail and tourism, construction and transport. These top 5 sectors currently account for more than 80% of the country's GDP. In another study, it was found that India’s country-level social cost of carbon emission was estimated to be the highest at $86 per tonne of CO2. It means the Indian economy will lose $86 by emitting each additional tonne of CO2. India is projected to lose $6 trillion by 2050 if no action is taken to reduce GHG emissions. Further, the poverty rate in India is projected to increase by 3.4% by 2040 due to the adverse effects of climate change.
Climate change is also expected to reduce the reliability of seasonal agricultural output, impacting revenue from the sector, which accounts for about 16% of the country's GDP. According to a study cited by the IPCC report, the overall effect of continued high emissions could be to reduce average global incomes by 23%, with average incomes in India 92% lower in 2100 than they would have been without climate change. Economic shocks caused by climate change, including reduced agricultural yields, damage to critical infrastructure, and commodity price rises, could lead to financial instability.

More than 250 million people are dependent on the 7,500 km long coastline of India for their livelihood. Further, the economic costs of sea-level rise and river flooding for India would also be among the highest in the world. Direct damage is estimated between USD 24 billion if emissions are cut only as rapidly as currently promised, and USD 36 billion, if emissions are high and ice sheets are unstable, according to another study cited by the report. The IPCC, in its report, warned that the damage to Mumbai from the sea-level rise could be up to $162 billion a year by 2050.

Further, due to rising temperature and increased heat stress, labour productivity is also at a decline. According to the International Labour Organization the loss in productivity by 2030 because of heat stress could be the equivalent of India losing 34 million full-time jobs (up from 15 million in 1995), the highest among the world's most populous nations. In the IPCC report, it has been estimated that agricultural labour capacity shall fall by 17% in India if emissions are not reduced. Further, the demand for energy is also on the rise due to increased heat waves and temperature rise in Asian countries, including India.