Climate & Livelihood Impacts

In our area, many families are troubled by rising fuel prices. The increased cost of gas cylinders has raised expenses for poor and middle-class people. Some have changed their cooking methods to save gas, while others are using wood or other cheaper alternatives. The rise in petrol and diesel prices has also increased fares for buses, autos, and freight transport. This is also affecting the prices of vegetables, groceries, and other essential items. People are now traveling only when necessary and trying to cut down on expenses. If the government provides some relief or controls prices, the common public would benefit greatly.

— Kumari Ankita · Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh

Brother (conducted online) "I have noticed my mother becoming more careful about gas usage — reheating food in the microwave, using the pressure cooker more, keeping the flame low. The price burden is real even if we haven't faced outright shortage. But what concerns me more is the long-term picture — if the West Asia conflict continues, fuel prices will keep rising and lower-income households will be hit hardest. My message to our local elected representative is this — please push for faster expansion of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana subsidy coverage in urban areas like Dum Dum, where many working-class families fall just outside the eligibility criteria and receive no relief despite struggling with the same price hikes. Urban energy poverty is real and it deserves the same policy attention that rural energy access gets."

— Yuvikaa Agarwal · South Dumdum, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal

Yes, we too have been affected by the rising prices of gas and oil. Earlier, household expenses somehow managed, but now it's difficult to manage the budget every month. With gas cylinders becoming expensive, we use them very carefully. We try to use less gas and cook food quickly. With petrol-diesel becoming expensive, the cost of commuting to farms, markets, and jobs has also increased. Many people are now using shared vehicles or public transport to save some money. The impact of inflation is directly affecting family savings. We want the government and concerned departments to find a good solution as soon as possible, so that the lives of common people can become a little easier.

— Kumari Ankita · Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh

Women in rural and tribal areas of Odisha depend entirely on the environment for collecting firewood, drinking water, and forest products (e.g., tendu leaves, mahua). When the environment deteriorates, they have to work harder to get these things.Women are most affected during natural disasters like cyclones, floods, and droughts. Environmental pollution or climate change makes their lifestyle difficult.

— Sonali Behera

Due to LPG shortage, the prices of LPG have gone up, so we can't eat much because we have to save a lot. It's very difficult because we have to save a lot. Due to this, petrol prices have also increased. Petrol prices had increased earlier, it was around ₹100 before. Now it's around ₹108. So, if someone was putting petrol for ₹300, now they have to put it for ₹400 daily. Because of that, it's very difficult for me to manage our daily life and figure out where we are going.

— Urvashi Sriraman · Mugalivakkam, Chennai Corporation, Chennai

Yes, the shortage of LPG cylinders has affected us a lot. Because cylinders are not always available on time, we sometimes use an induction stove and even firewood for cooking. Collecting wood from nearby forest areas requires extra effort and makes daily cooking more difficult.

— Sahil Singh · Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh

Effect of the energy crisis and rising fuel costs The increase in fuel and LPG prices has affected many families, including ours. Cooking gas has become more expensive, so we try to use LPG carefully and avoid wastage. In Rourkela, LPG cylinder prices have increased compared to previous months. Due to the high price we use the woods for cooking and so on . rarely use the lpg cylinder. The price of fuel has been increased so we rarely use 4 wheeler or 2 wheeler for short distance.

— Anish Toppo · Rourkela, Sundargarh, Odisha

Yes, this has affected us. In our village, sometimes gas cylinders are not available on time. Also, gas prices have increased a lot, due to which household expenses have risen. So, we use gas sparingly. We cook as much as possible on a stove and only light the gas when there is a great need. The wood obtained from the fields or cow dung cakes are very useful. This saves gas and reduces the stress of increased expenses a little. In this way, we manage this difficulty.

— Pragati Raut · Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra

Response 1 – Sourabh"Yes, we had LPG shortage last month. Had to wait extra days for the cylinder. For fuel costs, I use company cab more and bike less. I also use electric stove for tea and small cooking."Response 2 – Madhavi"We faced LPG shortage. Had to order food from outside for two days. For rising fuel costs, I share auto to office and reduced AC use at home. Everything is expensive now."Response 3 – Abhishek"Yes, LPG was delayed many days. My mum had trouble cooking. For fuel costs, I use bike less and take public trasport. We are cooking simpler food to save gas."

— Prayag Gaikwad · Pune, Maharashtra

My name is Thanapalu. The cylinder is not easily available. They are making us wait for 45 to 50 days. Since the cylinder is not readily available, we are cooking on other stoves. They are not even providing the cylinder properly. The price has also gone up. It's a bit difficult. Other stoves are also not easily available. We are unable to cook food in any other way. And it's raining like this. It's a bit difficult. I don't know what to do. It would be fine if we got cash easily. All the prices have gone up. Even with increased prices, they are not giving it properly, they are not delivering. Anyway, they are making us wait for 50 to 60 days. It's a bit difficult.

— Divagar N · Parakkalur AD Street, Salem, Tamil Nadu

Baldev Singh | 70 yrs The increasing fuel prices are directly effecting farming in our area. The prices of fertilisers, insecticides and other stuff used in farming have increased substantially. Moreover, the price of transportation has also increased. This is causing great problems for the community which is largly dependent on farming. The LPG cylinder rates have also hiked. There is no help from the government.

— Harmanjot Kaur · Rajgarh, Barnala, Punjab

I am from Bihar, in our state we mostly get Langra and Dussehri mangoes. My family said that this season the production is less because of changing weather conditions. Sometimes there is too much sunny weather and sometimes unexpected rain. This causes the quality of mangoes and taste. Mangoes in the market look good from outside, but from inside they are rotten. Because of high prices, many poor families buy fewer mangos only.

— Rohan Shinde · Boorakunte, Sarjapura, Bengaluru Urban

We use LPG cylinder for our household use. The 15 kg cylinder however now costs about rs 1200. Earlier it was about 950. I live in a family of 5 and earn only 6000 per month. Out of this I support my two kids who are in school and college , medicines for my mother in law and other bills. This hike of 300 rs might seem small to a lot of people, but to us it has impacted our household budget a lot, We are still planning to figure out how to adjust this inflation in our budget without cutting down much on our regular expenses. We can think of switching to electric induction stove as we have subsidized electricity.

— Zainab Rizwi · Cornwallis Colony, New Delhi, Unknown

Due to the shortage of LPG, our work has been greatly affected. We run a fast-food shop, so we need gas daily for that. And because of LPG gases, the price of gas for commercial usage has increased from 1000 to 3-4000 rupees, which makes it very difficult for us to procure it. This has also affected our work, and we have had to increase the prices of our items. What we used to sell for 30, we now sell for 40-50 after making it, because the price of LPG has become expensive, so things will also become expensive for us.

— Anshika Saxena · Kichha, Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand

Yes. My family has been affected by the LPG shortage. I have one small hotel, and to run it smoothly we daily use LPG. We daily use LPG cylinders for cooking breakfast, tea, and meals. Now there are delays in getting a new cylinder and also the price are increased. These delays in getting a new cylinder has created a problems in managing my hotel. To deal with LPG shortage problem we try to use the gas carefully and avoid wasting fuel. Sometimes we use wood stove for cooking meals and breakfast. Also I am forced to charge extra money on customers.

— Rohan Shinde · Boorakunte, Sarjapura, Bengaluru Urban

climate change affects men and women differently. Women are more vulnerable, you know, they are more dependent on the natural resources, you know, they have a limited access to land, credit and technology.

— Monalisa Malla · Unit-9, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, Khordha

My cousin- college student"The mango quality this year has been uneven ", some batches of Himsagar were excellent and others were disappointing. But the issue I keep thinking about is how climate change is quietly affecting the mango season itself. The season feels shorter, the yields are inconsistent, and farmers are bearing the uncertainty. My message to our local elected representative would be this ", please advocate at the state level for agricultural support programs that help small mango farmers in Bengal adapt to changing weather patterns. Subsidised irrigation, crop insurance, better weather advisory systems ", these are things that require policy attention. We enjoy mangoes every summer without thinking about the farmer who grew them. It is time our representatives started thinking about that too."

— Yuvikaa Agarwal · South Dumdum, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal

I think everyone's been affected by the LPG shortage.A lot of us have switched to electrical induction stoves, tea kettles, and other electronic gadgets to do most of our stuff and limit the amount of gas used around the house.I have been not so heavily affected by the fuel cost because I don't drive a car.I only use a bike and a cycle.So yes, fuel prices have increased.It could have been dealt with better.I think there are some states that have managed to keep the fuel prices lower and some states and cities that haven't been able to do that, and that's causing some amount of struggle.But otherwise things are just going normally.I think as Indians we have been able to adapt to survive and been able to manage a lot of these situations with different methods, and I think we're doing a pretty good job considering the circumstances.I have seen a lot of people switching to wood and coal and other fun methods for cooking.So I'm not too worried, but things haven't gotten so bad just yet.

— Aditya Negi · Bengaluru, Bengaluru Urban, Karnataka

There is a very big shortage of gas in our rural areas. Because of this, we have to work very hard to manage household expenses. Due to the increase in gas prices, we cook on a traditional stove (chulha). We bring fuel from the farm and cook on a chulha. And because the prices of fuel have also increased, we travel on foot.

— Pragati Raut · Akola, Maharashtra

I am a housewife at home. Gas shortage is very difficult for us. If our gas runs out and we book it, it takes 60 days to get it. Even if we book, it takes more than 10-15 days to get it. Also, because it's sold on the black market, we don't get it properly because it's a village. It's very difficult for firewood. Firewood prices have also increased. Due to gas shortage, firewood prices have also increased a lot, so we can't buy that either. Gas shortage is very difficult for us. Cooking itself is very hard. Don't know what to do.

— Divagar N · Kuppamuthu valavu, Jalakandapuram, Salem

The LPG crisis has definitely affected us because we run a food business. So, we use a commercial cylinder and not a normal household cylinder, and the prices for the commercial cylinder has gone up more than the household one. So, we have to pay extra. We used to buy it in bulk but because the price has risen, we cannot buy so many of them and keep it with us. And to adjust the price we have also increased the prices of our some of our products, which has reduced the inflow of customers.

— Zainab Rizwi · Cornwallis Colony, New Delhi, Unknown

Yes, we have been affected by LPG availability. We have a large family, and normally one gas cylinder lasts about 30 days, but recently getting a new cylinder can take around 45 days. Because of this, we sometimes use firewood for cooking. Also, gas delivery vehicles are not coming close to our house, so we have to go to the market to get the cylinder. However, since there is a government employee in our family, the increase in fuel prices has not affected our finances too much.

— Sahil Singh · Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh

Due to living conditions

— Sunita Kumari · Ghorawal, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

India has been affected greatly by the rising fuel costs, and I think it's not been managed properly.We do have a large reserve of certain fuels that could have been subsidized and given at lower cost to Indians, but that hasn't been the case and I think the government is also using this as an excuse to inflate costs all around, which I think is unfair.LPG somehow we have been lucky and we have been getting the LPG at least on the last day We cannot book our LPG for a month after we've got the earlier delivery.So the second cylinder is actually literally nullified, so we're working with just one cylinder and moving from cylinder to cylinder.It's quite a precarious situation.But we also have a backup of a wood stove in the backyard and some of the food we cook using the wooden stove.Food for the dogs are cooked on a wooden stove where we burn some firewood and get some of the cooking done.Helpers in our house also cook their food on firewood.

— Aditya Negi · Bengaluru, Bengaluru Urban, Karnataka

Communities are increasingly mindful about the risks involved and low returns from nature based livelihood given the changes in climate.

— Aastha Mishra

Here in Karnataka, varieties like Badami and Raspuri are very popular. The taste of Raspuri mango this year is good, but there is not enough quantity of naturally ripened mangoes. Due to climate changes and water shortages, many farmers have suffered losses in mango business. This year mango prices are higher than last year, making it difficult for some families to buy regularly. Most people prefer naturally ripened mangoes because they taste better. Nowadays, the taste of mangoes is becoming worse, and prices are still rising.

— Rohan Shinde · Boorakunte, Sarjapura, Bengaluru Urban

Yes, this sudden LPG crisis is disrupting our personal lives. Especially mine. I used to take food out of the fridge. Cold food, then I would heat it on the gas. That has to be completely stopped. Strictly, the people outside have said that cooking and heating on gas are forbidden. So, my life, you can understand, will be disrupted. As a result, I am in a very bad situation.

— Arani Biswas · Bally, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal

We feel more stressed nowadays because the heat is increasing. The sun is getting stronger, and rain is happening untimely.

— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand

I am facing the LPG crisis because in my house the food which takes time to cook will not be cooked. Even though my father is facing issues in the industry, he is not getting jobs to do. Due to blocking of the state of hormuz. My mother and brother are working so , we are living on their incomes which is decent to survive.

— Deepak Oraon · Mahua, Vaishali, Bihar

The higher fuel prices have affected our daily life. The cost of travel and many household items has increased. We now spend more money than before for our daily needs. To save money, we try to avoid unnecessary trips and plan our work carefully. We also use LPG carefully and avoid wasting gas while cooking. This small change helps us manage the rising costs.

— Pragati Raut · Akola, Maharashtra

For us, the biggest problem this year was more about power cuts than the heat. When the temperature rose very high, often there was no electricity for hours. Fans, coolers, everything would stop, and it became difficult to sit inside the house. Even at night, we couldn't sleep properly, which caused problems in working the next day. To escape the heat, we kept drinking water repeatedly, used wet towels, and stayed in the shade as much as possible. But due to lack of electricity, children, the elderly, and sick people faced the most difficulty. Many times, the water supply was also affected, which further increased the problems. We feel that along with increasing heat, it is very important for the electricity system to be strengthened. If there is continuous electricity, people can get relief from the heat and daily life can become a bit easier.

— Kumari Ankita · Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh

Yes, I've been highly affected due to this crisis and even my business has changed its way of dealing with purchasing and selling cost. Due to shortage of LPG cost of purchasing it has been increased which led me to increase the cost of products of my business. This has affected the number of customers coming to us leading to unsatisfactory profits.

— Anish Toppo · Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh

Due to the war in West Asia, a fuel crisis has arisen in India. It's not that I haven't been affected by it. I have been affected by the news and by hearing that gas will be available much later. So, I have done panic booking. But ultimately, I haven't faced such a problem yet because we always try to use less fuel. But the cost of fuel has increased now. It is becoming increasingly difficult to cope with that cost, to use fuel by meeting that cost. We are trying to cope by using as little fuel as possible.

— Arani Biswas · Bally, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal

In the present era, due to unseasonal weather, the yield of agricultural crops has decreased.

— Padmalochan Majhi · Ratachua, Rayagada, Odisha

Balwinder Kaur | 46 yrs Though the LPG crisis is not that harsh on us, we have still increased the usage of electrical stove. The prices of vegetables and fruits have increased. Not just this but the prices of all basic stuff has increased. The only thing we are focusing on is saving and reducing our energy intake.

— Harmanjot Kaur · Rajgarh, Barnala, Punjab

There is a water problem

— Sonmati · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh