In this project, IPE Global and its partner, Esri-India, conducted a micro-level hazard assessment and examined the fundamental impacts of climate change, particularly through the lens of climate extremes at a pentad-decadal scale. The study represents a pioneering effort in profiling extreme climate events—such as heatwaves, cyclones, floods, and droughts—at the district level across India. The study utilized the Climate Risk Observatory tool, developed by IPE Global and Esri India, which incorporates downscaled ensemble and dynamic modelling. By employing spatial and temporal modelling, the research provided a detailed district-level assessment, exploring these events’ complexities and non-linear trends and patterns. In addition to evaluating the frequency of climate disasters, the study investigated the patterns of related events and how their impacts have intensified over time. It also examined shifts in climate event trends across various sub-regions of the country. The study compiled a catalogue of extreme climate events in India over a 50-year historical period from 1973 to 2023. The assessment focuses on the urgent need for the establishment of a Climate Risk Observatory (CRO), a risk-informed decision-making toolkit for decision-makers at the national, state, district, and city levels, an Infrastructure Climate Fund (ICF) to support sustained investment into climate-resilient critical infrastructure and lastly Restoring, reviving, and rehabilitating natural ecosystems like mangroves, wetlands, and forests. The detailed analysis and the study findings can be found in the issue brief titled “State of Extreme Events”.
Factsheet:
- 85% of Indian districts are exposed to extreme climate events.
- 45% of Indian districts are witnessing a swapping trend from floods to drought or drought to floods and both or vice-versa.
(**Source: Mohanty, Abinash, Krishna Kumar Vsav, Vishal Sharma. 2024. State of Extreme Events. New Delhi, IPE Global and Esri India.)
