New Delhi, Oct. 29 -- India's struggle with climate change intensified dramatically in 2024, with heat exposure costing the nation a record 247 billion potential labour hours and air pollution claiming over 1.7 million lives in 2022, according to the 2025 report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change. The annual publication, which tracks 50-plus peer-reviewed indicators linking health and climate change, revealed that 12 of 20 health risk indicators set concerning new records last year. People in India were exposed to 19.8 heatwave days on average in 2024, with 6.6 days attributable directly to climate change. Heat exposure in 2024 translated to a record 419 hours per person in lost labour capacity-124% more than in the baseli...