Banda Boils at 47.6°C; 95 of 100 World’s Hottest Cities in India

India has become “the epicentre of a global heat surge”, with 95 of the world’s 100 hottest cities located in the country, according to real-time global temperature rankings, India Today and several other media outlets reported. 

Uttar Pradesh’s Banda emerged as the hottest place in the country on April 27, with the maximum temperature soaring to 47.6°C — 5.4 degrees above normal, the meteorological department said, reported ET. 

The data from AQI.in on April 24 showed that from central India to the Indo-Gangetic plains, temperatures soared past 40°C in dozens of cities, with several locations inching closer to the 45°C mark, the India Today report said. 

Among the worst hit are the app-linked couriers. App-based transport workers have sought mandatory heatwave protection, including paid breaks and access to water, under the Code on Social Security, 2020. The Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) has urged the government to implement these measures, citing similar protections in other countries. As heatwaves intensify companies could face rider shortages, reported ET. 

In January 2026, Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy’s Instamart were forced to drop their 10-minute delivery pledges from their branding after labour union protests. 

Extreme Heat Threatens India’s Rice Production, Farmers: UN Report

Indian farmers and rice crops face a major threat from heatwaves and the most intense impact from future extreme heat events is concentrated around densely populated farming regions of the Ganges and Indus Rivers basin, said a new report from the UN’s Food and Agriculture  Organization (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organization, TOI reported. 

Extreme heat may cut agricultural labour productivity below 40% in the regions of impact, putting India’s rice production and food security at risk, UN agencies warned. 

India to See up to 40 Extra Heat and Heavy Rainfall Events Each Year for the Next 20 yrs: AI Study

India will inherit an extra 15 to 40 unusually hot days each year in the next two decades due to accelerating climate change, compared to the 1981-2010 climatic baseline, according to a new artificial intelligence-powered climate intelligence platform, The Telegraph reported.

CRAVIS (Climate Resilience Analytics and Visualisation Intelligence System) has been developed by Delhi-based climate think tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). 

According to CRAVIS, the country could see a rise of 20 to 40 warm nights annually in several regions. The AI also predicted heavy rainfall events to rise steadily in the next two decades (10 to 30 extra heavy rainfall days annually in many districts). Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are expected to witness a stronger increase in both rainfall and hot days, the analysis found. 

CRAVIS makes these projections by combining 40 years of historical climate data. It can provide projections extending to 2030-50 and 2051-70.

Carbon in India’s Forests Projected to Grow as Warming, Rain Increase: Study

India’s forests could nearly double carbon storage by 2100, a study by researchers from multiple Indian institutes has found, the Hindu reported. Biggest increases in vegetation carbon are projected across Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, the report said.

The findings present a granular forecast of how climate change will reshape the country’s forest carbon stocks, the outlet said. The projected increases are driven primarily by two interacting forces: rising precipitation and elevated atmospheric CO₂. Higher rainfall, projected across much of India under all emissions scenarios, translates to more moisture available for trees to grow. Simultaneously, more available carbon dioxide means enhancing photosynthesis and water-use efficiency. Rainfall effects appear with a lag of about four years under the high-emissions scenario to account for the fact that forests do not respond instantly to a single wet year, and that woody biomass accumulates slowly over time, the outlet said. 

‘Dangerously high’ Temperatures as Europe Named World’s ‘Fastest-warming’ Continent: European State of the Climate Report

Almost all of Europe saw “above-average” temperatures last year, while wildfires burnt a “record” area and heatwaves struck “from north to south”, reported Sky News, citing the latest “European state of the climate report” from Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The report revealed that 2025 brought 46°C heat to Portugal, temperatures of 30°C within the Arctic Circle and “20 large wildfires at the same time” in Spain. Reuters reported that Europe is the “world’s fastest-warming continent” as over half of Europe was hit by drought conditions in May 2025. The findings show that “climate change is having increasingly severe consequences in Europe, at a time when some governments seek to weaken emissions-cutting policies over economic concerns, the news wire said. Politico reported that the findings come as the world is bracing for a “major El Niño” event likely to send temperatures soaring higher.

Global forest loss slows but El Niño fires could threaten progress

The loss of tropical rainforests slowed last year, “largely due to Brazil’s efforts to curb deforestation in the Amazon”, reported BBC News. The broadcaster says that the loss of tropical forests fell by 36% in 2025, according to analysis from the World Resources Institute and the University of Maryland. However, it adds that there is “concern that a two-pronged attack from climate change and the arrival of the warming El Niño weather pattern later this year could increase the likelihood and severity of forest fires.”