May 14, 2026
In his Hindustan Times column, Vital Signs, OHT’s Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan writes about how rising temperatures are affecting students’ exam performance in India. A new study by researchers at the One Health Trust and partner institutions found that higher temperatures can significantly reduce cognitive performance, including reading, reasoning, and math skills.
The study showed that for every 1°C rise in temperature, test scores declined measurably. Over a 10°C increase, a student performing at the 60th percentile could drop to the 40th percentile due to heat exposure alone. With many major exams held during India’s hottest months, students without access to cooling face an unfair disadvantage.
As climate change intensifies heatwaves globally, Dr. Laxminrayan shows that ensuring safe and suitable exam conditions should become part of education policy.”Previous generations, including ours, have helped create the climate crisis, and it is unfair that our children should be paying the price.”
Read the article here.
