CHENNAI: A striking 90% of adults in Tamil Nadu say they have personally experienced the effects of global warming, the highest in the country, according to the newly released Climate Opinion Maps for India by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
The findings align with what the state’s own Economic Survey has repeatedly said, Tamil Nadu is on the frontline of rising temperatures, altered rainfall patterns and an escalating burden of extreme weather.
The survey also shows that 66% of adults in Tamil Nadu report knowing “a lot” or “something” about global warming, again among the top in India.
Experts say this heightened awareness may be linked to the state’s high urbanisation, concentrated industries, and recurring climate-linked disruptions, from heat stress in cities to erratic monsoon spells affecting reservoirs and agriculture.
For comparison, awareness levels are significantly lower in states such as Uttar Pradesh (52%) and Bihar (48%), while higher levels are seen in Kerala (62%) and Delhi (70%).
In recent years, the state government has established the Tamil Nadu Governing Council on Climate Change and updated its State Action Plan on Climate Change, signalling an institutional effort to respond to rising risks. Still, the new district-level data reveal a deeper perception gap. While 74% of adults in Tamil Nadu believe global warming is influencing severe storms, only 21% say they have personally experienced such storms in the past year. By contrast, Odisha reports 64% of adults experiencing cyclones, and Rajasthan reports 28% of adults experiencing severe floods in the same period.
The survey, conducted between 2022-25, covered 9,644 respondents from 575 of 634 districts in India, spanning across all states and union territories except Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Across India as well, the survey revealed that the majority of people think global warming is affecting heat waves (78%), droughts (77%), cyclones (73%) and floods (70%), even in states where recent exposure has been low. In Haryana and Rajasthan, for instance, 80% of adults report experiencing severe heat waves, compared to just 55% in Kerala and 52% in Tamil Nadu.
Jagadish Thaker, senior lecturer, University of Queensland, said, “As India rapidly develops while facing intensifying extreme weather, understanding how people across states and districts perceive and experience climate change is essential. These maps can help local and state leaders design climate action plans that reflect people’s lived realities and build durable public support for solutions.”
India saw extreme weather on 322 of 366 days in 2024, affecting millions across 634 districts.
States like Odisha, where 64% report experiencing cyclones and over two-thirds face drought, show how uneven and intense climate impacts can be. In contrast, Kerala reported far lower experiences of severe storms (around 30%), underscoring how vulnerability differs sharply across regions.
“For Tamil Nadu, the findings reinforce a growing public recognition that climate change is no longer an abstract threat, but a lived experience, the one shaping daily life, infrastructure needs and long-term development choices,” said V Prabhakaran, member of Poovulagin Nanbargal.