Overview

• The review published in PLOS Climate on July 30 aggregated seven studies spanning 61 countries and involving nearly 14.5 million students to examine the effects of prolonged heat exposure on learning.
• Researchers found that sustained high temperatures disproportionately depressed performance in complex cognitive tasks, with mathematics learning outcomes showing the steepest declines.
• Case data from India showed that each extra day above 29 °C in the previous year reduced reading scores by 0.02 and math scores by 0.03, illustrating tangible academic impacts.
• Students in low-income communities faced greater heat-related learning losses due to higher local temperatures and limited access to cooling infrastructure and tutoring services.
• Authors warn that unchecked learning disruptions could erode future human capital and hamper national development unless schools adopt targeted cooling and acclimatization measures.