Abstract
The two-thirds of the Indian population depends directly on the climate-sensitive sectors of agriculture, fisheries, and forests. They are adversely affected by extreme weather, vector-borne diseases, and decrease in crop production. The diverse array of temperate zones, coastal megacities, and deserts of 50°C are vulnerable to Indian climate change. The health implications from these vulnerabilities render uninhabitable places with risk of air pollution, respiratory diseases, malaria, and cholera. The scarcity of potable water coupled with vectors carrying disease exacerbates health disparities and disease burden. Being the second largest populated country in the world with lack of adaptive capacity coupled with limited resources and bolster health infrastructure, it has 600 million people at the risk of infectious diseases and nutrition. The meagre allocation of the climate finance is precarious for India to cope with public health challenges. The integration of social, demographic, and land cover data identifying sustainable health solutions under health infrastructure and large population deserves effective mechanism in climate change scenario in India. There is need to predict the climate change impacts and augur effective interventions failing which it will negate the right to health and widen health inequalities in India.
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