Climate Change Threatens India's Progress On Health SDGs: Two Studies Caution

Two independent studies have raised urgent caution that climate change is fast emerging as a direct barrier to India’s health progress, threatening to derail gains in child nutrition, maternal care and the country’s broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The studies warn that extreme weather events — floods, heatwaves, cyclones and shifting rainfall patterns — are not only worsening health outcomes but also placing India’s healthcare infrastructure itself at growing risk.

The first study, conducted by researchers from the Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), analysed climate vulnerability across 575 rural districts, linking it with health outcomes for 1.54 lakh children and 4.47 lakh women. The association was clear: districts with higher climate stress recorded poorer maternal and child health indicators.

The probability of a child being underweight was 1.25 times higher in highly climate-vulnerable regions, and non-institutional deliveries were 1.38 times more likely among women in these areas, said the researchers Purnamita Dasgupta, Girika Sharma, William Joe, Madhura Chowdhuri and Gudakesh G, all from Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi.

Stunting and wasting, already chronic challenges for India, also showed strong correlation with climate risk. With 80% of the population living in climate-sensitive zones, the authors warned that climate shocks could widen existing inequalities and stall progress under SDG-2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG-3 (Good Health and Wellbeing).

While the National Health Mission has improved service coverage, structural gaps persist — from weak antenatal care to shortage of skilled staff and limited transport access. Climate-driven disruptions, the researchers noted, are now amplifying these bottlenecks, delaying emergency care and interrupting essential nutrition and maternal services. They called for climate risk mapping to be embedded into health schemes, stronger primary healthcare systems, and resilience-focused investments.

The second study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) released in October warned that many of India’s public healthcare facilities may themselves be unprepared to withstand escalating climate extremes. Using Maharashtra as a pilot case, the assessment found that nearly one-third of the State’s health facilities could face high risk from floods or cyclones by 2050, threatening power backup, water supply, road connectivity and communication networks during emergencies.

Post-disaster breakdowns could severely impair service delivery, especially in high-risk coastal and rural blocks. The study recommends expanding national standards like the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) to include resilience measures such as structural audits, climate-proofing upgrades and emergency preparedness protocols.

It also urged revision of the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) to prioritise adaptation over mitigation, alongside creation of a national climate-resilience monitoring platform.

Commenting on the study, Dr Vishwas Chitale, Senior Programme Lead, CEEW, said, “India has already embarked on making healthcare infrastructure climate-resilient. For example, after the 2018 floods, the Kerala state government, in collaboration with WHO, initiated a risk analysis exercise of 1,300 primary health centres with plans to climate-proof 300 critical facilities by 2025."

"Similarly, Maharashtra’s revised State Action Plan on Climate Change and Human Health (SAPCCHH) for 2022-2027 also outlines a comprehensive roadmap to tackle climate-induced health risks. With nearly Rs 10,000 crore proposed in the Interim Budget 2024-25 to improve Maharashtra’s healthcare facilities, safeguarding this investment from disaster-induced losses is crucial to ensure long-term benefits.”

Shreya Wadhwan, Programme Associate, CEEW, added, “Healthcare facilities across India must undertake immediate actions and invest in long-term planning based on their climate risk profile. Strengthening resilience would also require revisiting the national guidelines on healthcare infrastructure to focus more on adaptation. This requires district health departments to assess and address vulnerabilities more locally.

Expanding standards like the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) to incorporate resilience metrics such as structural audits, emergency preparedness plans, infrastructure reinforcement against climate risks, and climate-proofing upgrades is essential to these ends.”

The CEEW study makes several other key recommendations, including revising the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) guidelines to focus on resilience over mitigation, developing a national platform for monitoring healthcare infrastructure resilience, and incentivising climate finance for healthcare systems.